Let the Games Begin
by Narutolovesraman
Summary: With Aizen defeated, Isshin approaches the Gotei 13 in hopes of securing the help of the *bored* Captains in meddling with the love life of his son, Kurosaki Ichigo. The three candidates? Inoue Orihime...Arisawa Tatsuki...and Kuchiki Rukia.
1. The Approach

**Hey guys…it's been a while. I do realize that my other story…has been not updated in an ETERNITY. I will update that soon…even more so since it's summer break and I'm getting bored outta my mind. =.=**

**About this story though…one MAJOR clarification. Though I'm an Ichiruki fan, I don't like stories having set ending pairings. It makes it boring and I lose interest. That's why…in this story…I honestly swear that I have no idea who's going to end up with who. It all depends on how the story progresses. It might end Ichiruki. It might end Ichihime. It might end with Ichigo and Tatsuki. I don't know. And maybe that'll make this story interesting. Or not. **

**So I'll begin now, with that in mind. And I hope we all like where it ends up.**

**TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  
**

_~After the defeat of Aizen~_

_Soul Society- _

_Kurosaki, Isshin stepped forward to be centered amidst the captains of the Gotei 13. _

"_We all know my son is incredibly strong." This was greeted by silence. So much for modesty. "He has gained immense power and as such…I deem that his children would be incredibly strong as well. _

"_Currently, there are three women in his life that he shares a deep bond with. As he nears the end of his high school days, I believe that it is important, for the sake of Soul Society's elite, that he picks the right wife to bear his children."_

_Renji could barely keep from laughing. Ichigo wouldn't like this one bit._

"_These three women are as follows: _

_Inoue, Orihime._

_Arisawa, Tatsuki._

_Kuchiki, Rukia."_

_Renji spluttered. Rukia? Rukia? Hell if he was letting that overgrown strawberry take her._

"_It is through my…skills at picking up information…"_

_Renji could have laughed if he wasn't so pissed that Rukia was a candidate. After all…it was more like stalking._

"…_that I have deemed that these three women are in love with Ichigo…or have the potential of falling in love with him and of being a suitable wife. Each of these three have their own strengths and weaknesses that could, with Ichigo's rather immense powers, create, in fact, a super-child."_

_Oh gods. A super child? Renji started snickering momentarily forgetting his previous issue._

"_Inoue, Orihime….with her, their child would have both fighting and healing capabilities. No doubt an extremely valuable asset to the Gotei 13 in the face of battle. It might lead to regenerative abilities while fighting…which would make their child almost invincible…of course…this wouldn't matter if their child wasn't strong enough to begin with._

_Arisawa, Tatsuki…although she has no immediate spiritual powers, I have found evidence that she does possess it…to some extent. She's extremely skilled at martial arts and I have no doubt that the strength of their child would be multiplied…it would be both skilled physically in the real world and skilled in the spiritual world…at least, in terms of fighting. _

_Finally, the last candidate, Kuchiki, Rukia."_

_Renji could have sworn he heard his Captain splutter._

"_She is one of us. A soul reaper. She would undoubtedly multiply their child's strength ten-fold in the spiritual sense. She would be able to properly educate it and train it in the Soul Society traditions just as my son would be able to train it in the Human World traditions and methods. Not to mention…there would be an important link to the noble family of the Kuchiki's…of whom would gain the immense strength of my son in turn for their daughter and the title. _

"_You have heard my predicament. It is up for you to help me interfere…err…guide…Ichigo's life in the direction that would better suit Soul Society."_

_With that, the meeting was dismissed. _

"_There's no way in hell that Ichigo's getting Rukia. I will DEFINIETELY make him fall for either one of the other two," Renji muttered. As he glanced at Byakuya, he believed that his Captain had come to relatively the same decision. _

_Matsumoto on the other hand was delighted. It was the perfect chance for her to help Orihime…all she had to do was convince her Captain to help her out…_

_Byakuya, in the meantime, had slowly succumbed to Isshin's logic. After all…hate it as he must…Kurosaki, Ichigo was a perfect candidate for his sister…and if he must give her away…_

_Kenpachi, however, was on a completely separate wavelength. He was rooting for this girl that was supposed to be incredibly strong in martial arts. Of course…she herself would obviously be too weak to fight him…But her and Ichigo's child…_

_He started salivating. Oh. The wonders. Yachiru smiled. So are we going with Arisawa, Tatsuki? _

_Kenpachi grinned. "You read my mind."_

**TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT**

"Kurosaki, Ichigo."

There was no response. The teacher looked up impatiently from his desk. Heads began to turn in the direction of the teacher's gaze upon the snoring teenager with the unkempt hair and messy uniform.

"_Kurosaki, Ichigo_."

Within five seconds, a short amount of spluttering was heard, an unidentifiable flying object was observed, and Ichigo's head snapped up.

"Here, damnit!"

"Excuse me?"

Ichigo seemed to realize his surroundings and grudgingly corrected himself.

"Here." The teacher took a moment to stifle him with a withering glance before moving on to the next student on the roster.

"Honestly. You think you would have the decency to sleep AFTER he called your name." The girl in front of him had turned around in the seat in front of him, leaning casually on his desk.

_Kuchiki, Rukia. Sister-in-law to the notorious Kuchiki, Byakuya. Or ex- really. Considering his wife was dead. Byakuya had taken her under his wing so-to-speak. This short-tempered hindrance. Raven-black hair. Large blue eyes. A dainty nose. Small mouth. Porcelain skin. But above all…a short stature. Should he mention that she's a soul reaper?_

Rukia quirked an eyebrow. "I know I'm easy on the eyes, but I would appreciate it if you could keep your eyes in your head."

Ichigo glared at her. "Then don't chuck your trash in my mouth next time, you stupid midget. I almost died, for frick's sake!"

The raven-haired girl's mouth tightened and her eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't have had anything in your mouth if you weren't sleeping and who the hell are you calling a midget, you orange-haired freak?"

Before Ichigo could mouth a retort, a large cough was heard.

"Is there something wrong, Kuchiki-san?" Rukia's head whipped around.

"Not at all," she replied sweetly. "I was just telling Kurosaki-kun the merits of actually sleeping at home."

Ichigo could feel his face starting to burn. _That stupid, good-for-nothing, chappy-obsessed…_

**TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT**

"_You have a valid point there, Kuchiki-san. This isn't the first time you've slept in class, is it Kurosaki-kun?" _

_Ichigo could feel this was about to go VERY badly for him. The teacher looked as if he had blown a fuse. _

"_Always sleeping. No respect. Just because your grades are semi-good…"_

_Semi-good? Semi-good? He was third in the freaking class. Only shown up by that pussy Ishida and the little devil that had gotten him into this mess._

"…_you think you can do whatever you want? Well, you've got another thing coming. Outside. Now."_

That is how he found himself standing outside in the hallway, holding two buckets of water and staring at the very boring, plastered wall in front of him. Luckily, he found that he took solace in swearing the teacher out under his breath. So he was standing there. With two buckets. Muttering a stream of curse words under his breath. Staring at a wall. It was no wonder he was getting strange looks from the stranglers that passed him by.

"Hey."

Ichigo stopped, momentarily surprised to see his childhood friend step out from Tsukasa's _interesting _lecture. He never let anyone leave.

"Ah…well…I…" The girl started to look flustered. "Just so you know, I didn't come out because I was worried about you. I have to go to the restroom," she made a point to place special emphasis on the word "restroom".

Ichigo stared at her.

_Arisawa, Tatsuki. An expert in martial-arts. When he was younger he took karate classes with her. Then he stopped. Tall, skinny, short black hair. An aggressive but kind personality. _

"Pfft."

The girl stared at him outraged. "Are you _laughing _at me?"

"What is going _on _out there?" Tsukasa-sensei threw open the door. "Can you not behave out here either, Kurosaki-kun?"

Ichigo looked at him flabbergasted. Tatsuki was lone gone. As she had left he could have sworn she had muttered, _serves him right, here I was worried about him and he's laughing? Laughing? If that teacher hadn't shown up, I would have shown HIM funny. _

Ichigo let out an inward groan. What could he possibly do now? He was cursing his luck when a chime of bells rang out.

"You're lucky, Kurosaki-kun. Very, very lucky."

Ichigo stifled a smile. No use instigating the man. Didn't want him making him do crud during his precious lunch break.

**TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT**

Ichigo grabbed a seat at his desk. The midget in front of him was staring decidedly down at a neatly wrapped bento in front of her.

"So…"

"Hmm?" Ichigo glanced at her back. "If you want to say something turn around. I don't want to stare at another wall."

Rukia turned around looking slightly disgruntled.

"Never mind. Whether I'm looking at you from the back or front, it's all the same."

Her fuse blew and she whacked him across the head. "Are you calling me flat-chested?"

Ichigo clutched his head before smirking, "You said it not me. And watch who the hell you're hitting!"

"Well, I'd rather be flat-chested than have bleached hair, _Strawberry._"

"The hell! This hair's my natural color you stupid midget!"

"Midget? MIDGET? I'll show you a midget!"

"Why you…"

The two were stopped by Ishida who sat down next to him. "Kurosaki-kun, you might want to show a little more respect to Kuchiki-san."

Ichigo glanced at her and scowled. "Whatever."

"Honestly. The way you two banter it's like you two are an old and married couple."

"Who's married?"

"Who's old!"

The two guys turned to stare at Rukia who immediately turned and hit Ichigo upside the head before proceeding to her bento.

**TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT**

A gate opened…and into the empty street, Kurosaki, Isshin stepped out, followed by five captains and four lieutenants.

He smiled.

_Let the games begin. _

**Ah, well, the fun times with the Captain's will begin next time. Notice there are more captains and lieutenants that came out…than those that actually said anything in the prologue. Most of you will probably figure out who they are, but of course, a true confirmation next time. Also…there are some discrepancies done on purpose. Like yes…Rukia is smart.**

**I apologize for any and all mistakes and discrepancies. I read over and check this by myself…so sometimes I miss stuff.**

**And reviews and reviewers are VERY much appreciated. Reviews help me decide between updating or jogging…or going out for tapioca. **

**Until next time. :]**


	2. Delivery Boy

**Back again, a bit early this time.  
**

**Thank you very much to my reviewers. It was fun reading your comments. :]**

**Brief Recap: **_Crazy arguments with Rukia…strange moments with Tatsuki…to top ALL of this,__Ichigo has unknowingly been thrown into Isshin's love game. As a result, five captains and four lieutenants follow his father into the real world. _

...

Matsumoto, Rangiku was doing her very best to remain inconspicuous…but that was proving harder than she thought. She should have told Urahara to perhaps modify her cleavage so that it was a tad easier to move around in. It's not like she could sneak around and discreetly mess with Ichigo's life when half of Karakura town was staring at her.

"_Alright. So now you're on your own." The captains stared at him. _

"_Well, you can't expect me to help you," he deadpanned. "It's pretty obvious you all have your own ideas who Ichigo should marry."_

"_So you're just leaving us to fend for ourselves?" Renji threw up his hands._

"_I didn't say that…per se…" A big goofy smile lit up his face. "If you need any help, I'll be in my office." A quick thumbs up, and he was gone._

"_What, he calls us here and he just leaves?" Renji was outraged._

"_What, so we just leave now?" Hitsugaya had his arms folded, looking decidedly irked. _

"_Oh, come on Captain, it'll be fun."_

_Hitsugaya twitched as he found his face smashed against his lieutenant's rather large cleavage. "Just so you know," he muttered. "I only came because I was bored…not because you asked me to."_

Rangiku sighed.

"Captain, you know, it looks kind of weird with you following me. Just walk _with _me."

"This is fine, Matsumoto."

"It's _not._" Rangiku stopped walking to grab his arm. "You're walking _with _me." She then proceeded to drag him along.

"Matsumoto!"

"Well, first thing's first, we have to go to school!"

"Oi, oi, are you even listening to me?" Hitsugaya stumbled. "Matsumoto! Listen to your captain!"

Rangiku's grip tightened on his arm, and she sped up. "Ahh, school will be over at this rate."

"MATSUMOTO!"

...

"I didn't see Inoue in school today," Ichigo was once again leaning back on his chair. "Wonder where she is?"

Rukia turned around to look at him. "Inoue? Come to think of it, I haven't seen her either. Is she sick?"

"Eh?"

Ichigo only had a second to looked surprised before crashed to the floor.

"What the heck was that for?"

Rukia smirked. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Kurosaki-kun." Her finger had disappeared, likely behind her back.

"I hope…" She paused, lip trembling. Boy, she was good. "…I hope…you're no implying that I pushed you." She wiped a fake tear from her eye.

"What a jerk."

"Yeah, making a girl cry like that."

"There's no way Kuchiki-san would have pushed him."

"His own fault, leaning on his chair like that." The whispers increased until it was almost unbearable.

Ichigo looked at the class incredulously. "You can't possibly believe this crap!" Ichigo was spared from further outrage when the class door was opened.

"Class, settle down." The teacher walked in, placing her books on the table. "Kurosaki-kun, please get off the floor and take your seat." Ichigo scowled up from his position. It's not like he was on the floor of his own volition or anything.

"Here, Kurosaki-kun. I'll pull you up." The violet eyes of one devious Kuchiki, Rukia met his own.

"Hell no, midget." Ichigo pulled himself up. Rukia's eyes narrowed, but she took her seat without comment.

"Then…first thing's first." The teacher looked up to survey the classroom. "Kurosaki-kun, please see me after class."

Ichigo's head snapped up to meet the teacher's gaze.

"What?"

"After class, Kurosaki-kun."

The entire class turned to stare at him. Ichigo was pretty sure that they were thinking the same thing.

_What now?_

...

"Sensei, you wanted to see me?" Behind him, students were filing out of the classroom, many to go participate in after-school clubs. Some throwing jealous glares at his back.

The teacher sighed. "Well," Ichigo adjusted his strap. "…apparently Inoue, Orihime's relative went to the administrative entrance to request that all school materials be sent to her house as she's ill…"

"Her relative?" Ichigo looked at her bemused. "She doesn't have any relatives."

"Don't ask me, Kurosaki-kun." Kotani-sensei handed him a stack of papers. "Please, would you deliver these to her? Her relative or whoever she was, mentioned that you were friends."

"This isn't just Japanese, this is everything," Ichigo said, flipping through the stack.

"I did say 'all school materials,' Kurosaki-kun." The teacher gave him a small smile before flicking her hair back. "Not just mine."

Ichigo reddened and he scowled out of habit. "Ah."

...

"Hmmmm…" The two were standing outside the school. Evening was starting to set and the wind was starting to pick up.

"Oi, what do you want?" Ichigo looked a bit perturbed as Rukia seemed to be closely examining him.

"Nothing." She bit her lip but pressed on. "You just seemed to like that teacher."

"Che, none of your business."

"Hmmm…" Rukia looked at him quizzically before turning away.

"Then…I'm going ahead."

Rukia looked at him in shock. "You're still doing this?" She called out, annoyed.

"I'm _not _having more rumors of us flying around the school."

"I still have no idea what these rumor-things are! Explain! Ichigo!"

But silence greeted her, and Rukia was left staring at his retreating back.

...

In a tree, Byakuya was having a problem just letting Ichigo go. He was extremely tempted to shunpo over to this man and express his extreme displeasure at him leaving his sister all alone…all for some ridiculous rumors. Whatever these 'rumor' things were.

"This is brilliant, isn't it Captain?"

Byakuya turned to give his lieutenant a cold stare.

"I mean, not that Rukia's alone and all," Renji put up his hands in defense. "Just that, that idiot strawberry's pushing her farther away without him even knowing it."

Byakuya continued to survey him coldly.

"And that is advantageous, how exactly?"

"Eh?" Renji gave him a blank look before realization dawned on his face.

"You can't seriously want Ichigo together with your _sister_."

The Captain was quiet before responding. "And what if I do?"

"But then…"

"Don't tell me you don't want what's best for Rukia." The Captain let his palm rest on the hilt of his sword. "Then I've misjudged you."

"No, no." Renji waved his hands frantically. "Of course I do. It's just that I think Ichigo doesn't deserve her…"

"Then please tell me who does," Byakuya replied emotionlessly. "If not the savior of Soul Society and Karakura town…someone who has bested you and me and numerous other people for that matter….someone with immense strength…then pray tell, who?"

Renji was speechless.

"Of course, if you think Rukia is not good enough for him, that is a separate matter entirely." Renji wasn't liking where this was going. He was more than certain, if he messed up here, he would be very, very, lucky to get out of this completely intact. "Do you think, perhaps, that girl with the voluptuous bosom a better match than Rukia?" The silence was deadly.

"N-not at all, Captain."

"Very good then. We will cover more ground separately. You are dismissed."

Renji was horrified as he left the tree. He had completely misjudged Kuchiki, Byakuya. As a result, he would have to play things extremely careful - both to make sure Ichigo did not fall for Rukia and to make sure that his Captain didn't realize his intentions. Otherwise…well, then otherwise… he'd be a dead man.

...

"Matsumoto. Seriously? Her relative?"

Hitsugaya was looking incredibly displeased.

"Well why not? We do look similar. It's very believable."

"Yeah, except for the fact that Inoue, Orihime _has no living relatives._ Don't you think Ichigo will be the least bit suspicious?"

Matsumoto stared at the young captain before squeezing him to her chest. "No waaaay."

"Matsumoto. You're. Killing. Me." Hitsugaya did not like gigai's. He had nearly no physical strength in them…at least not enough to push off his lieutenant.

"He's too dense to figure it out, and if he does, well, then I'll come up with some reason." When all was silent from her companion, she looked down.

"Captain? Captain? You ok down there?"

"J-just fine," he groaned.

...

Ichigo rang the doorbell.

"Wonder if I'm in the right place…"

Suddenly, a cheery voice called out from inside. "Coming!" The locks clicked and the door opened.

"AH! K-Kurosaki-kun." Ichigo was greeted by a bubbly girl suffering from extreme bed head. She had a cold pack on her head. "What are you doing here?"

_Inoue, Orihime. Often the source of lust from many of their classmates. Her persona is that of a perpetual cheerful person…with an extremely twisted sense of taste. Extremely skilled at defensive arts. _

"Ah…" Ichigo felt a bit sheepish. "Sensei asked me to give you these…" He dug around in his pack before presenting her with the stack of papers that Kotani-sensei had given him.

"Arigatou!" Orihime received the papers gratefully. "I was a bit worried I'd get behind…ah." She stopped, looking ashamed. "Won't you come in?" She opened the door a little wider. "I forgot my manners," she hit her head lightly.

"That's alright," Ichigo looked at her. "You're sick right? You should probably get some sleep."

Orihime looked at him a moment, startled, before beaming. "At least have some tea and ice-cream toast before you go."

"Then…maybe some tea," he said, looking a bit sick at the thought of the latter.

...

"Captain, look!" Rangiku was beside herself. "It's going so well!"

"I'd appreciate it if you stopped strangling me every time something good happened," came the muffled reply.

"Look! He's sitting down." Rangiku started looking dreamy. "Ah. A girl and a boy…alone in one room…"

"What are you _talking_ about?" Hitsugaya grumbled, finally wrestling himself away from the woman.

"You're a bit too young for this kind of talk, aren't you?" She said, giving him a knowing glance.

"Wh-what's that supposed to mean?" He cried, outraged. "I am NOT small!"

"Alright Captain, but can you quiet down? I'm trying to watch."

"You can't be serious! You were the one gushing about…" Rangiku held up a finger to her mouth and Hitsugaya let out an exasperated sigh.

...

Ichigo looked around the room, remembering the last time he had been here was under…unfavorable circumstances.

"Do…" Orihime looked at him questioningly as she put the stack of papers on the table. " Do you mind if I pay my respects to your brother?" He asked, gesturing to the shrine.

She looked shocked before recovering quickly and saying, "Not at all."

As she watched him praying seriously in front of her brother's alter, she smiled. _Nii-san…this was the guy I was talking about. _

A few seconds later, Ichigo turned around and took a seat at the table. Orihime disappeared into the kitchen before appearing again with two cups of tea.

"Are you sure you don't want that toast?"

Ichigo hid a grimace. "Yeah, it's fine. I'm eating dinner later with my family."

"Really?" Ichigo instantly regretted saying that and tried to change the topic.

"It's nice being back, isn't it?" He sipped his tea.

"Yeah. There's no place like home. It was just my luck I got sick on the first few days that we've been back." She laughed brightly.

"Yeah, I'm surprised you can't cure it with your healing powers."

"Ah!"

Ichigo looked at her shocked. "Don't tell me you haven't tried it yet?"

She shook her head quickly.

"Should I?"

"Of course!"

"I'll try it now." Ichigo watched her say a few words in deep concentration. Immediately, she was engulfed by a gentle light.

"Well?" Ichigo asked, curiously.

"It's gone!"

"That so?"

Orihime looked at him, in surprise. "Thank you, Kurosaki-kun!"

"Wh-what are you thanking me for?" He replied, surprised.

"If you hadn't told me, I would have never have tried it."

Ichigo stared at her before looking up at the ceiling. "A cure for the common cold, eh? You should open your own clinic, you'd make a fortune."

"Seriously?"

"Of course. You'd probably become pretty famous. It's only to be expected…"

As the heat of the conversation started to die down, things began to feel a bit awkward.

Orihime was first to break the silence.

"Ano…Kurosaki-kun?"

Shee seemed to be approaching him sheepishly, and Ichigo looked at her, quizzically. "Yeah?"

"About Hueco Mundo," She positioned herself before him and bowed. "Thank you for coming after me and saving me."

"Eh?" He was shocked by the formality. "We're friends right? Of course I'd save you. We all came together to save you." At the word, 'friends,' Orihime seemed to twitch a bit.

"Friends…" She whispered it so softly Ichigo almost didn't here her. Then she looked up so suddenly and with such intensity that Ichigo was taken aback.

"Kurosaki-kun, I…"

The doorbell rang.

"Ah…that's the door. I better get it."

Ichigo was startled to say the least, and began to wonder what it was she was about to say.

"Orihime! What are you doing out of bed? Weren't you sick?"

"Tatsuki! Umm…well…I had this super awesome medicine…and I'm a lot better, see?" She flexed her arms, as if that strengthen her point.

"Well, my mom told me to bring some of this over." Ichigo imagined that she was holding out some container with food in it. "I thought I'd get here fast because I was worried you'd eat something strange like ice-cream covered toast…eh? What's wrong?" Orihime's eyes had begun to tear up.

"Is it really that strange? No wonder Kurosaki-kun refused."

"Kurosaki-kun? Ichigo? When did you offer it to…" As Tatsuki peered inside, she caught a glance of the carrot-top.

"ICHIGO!"

...

**Ok, so not all of the captains and their lieutenants were mentioned this time…that was an oversight on my part. But I do have a list of everything, so it's not like I don't already have it planned out. **

**And as a small side note…it was actually _fun _writing about Orihime. I actually got to see things from her viewpoint.**

**I apologize for OOC-ness from any characters and any and all mistakes and discrepancies.**

**So…on to the next point. Not sure if I'm going to continue this or not. If I have the readers, of course. But I don't know if people are just popping in and then leaving cause it's horrible or not…I know a few people are sticking with it. **

**So thank you to all of my reviewers. :] You're totally the reason I actually update. **

**If you like the story, please take a second or two to send in a quick review. It'll make my day and will certainly bring a fast release (not to mention it'll guarantee this won't be dropped). ^_^ **

**Until next time… **


	3. Teacup

-1**Once again, my sincerest gratitude to the people who reviewed. :] The only reason I update (and not drop it) is because of you guys. **

**And now, a little stuff to take care of before I start…**

**A HUGE thank you to bcsaturdai: I had no idea about that grammatical error until you mentioned it. Thanks for letting me know soon - I would have felt like an idiot if someone had told me at the end. **

**On another note, maybe a _little _bit of Matsumoto and Toshiro…haha. I'm not sure yet…I used to be a Hinamori and Hitsugaya fan until she got super annoying with all that chasing after Aizen business and I sort of switched over to the former-mentioned pairing. ^_^" **

**On a completely irrelevant note, REN AND MAEMI MOMENTS FINALLY IN TSUKI NO KOIBITO! For those of you that have no idea what I'm talking about…it's probably better that way. **

**RECAP: Matsumoto drags Hitsugaya around as she tries to set up Orihime and Ichigo. Ichigo ends up in Orihime's room drinking tea but Tatsuki ends up finding them before anything interesting happened. **

**===.===**

"That's it then." Ichigo was standing outside his friend's apartment door, empty tea cup in hand, looking flabbergasted. Upon noticing him, Tatsuki had proceeded to immediately kick his ass out, despite Inoue's protests.

He looked at the teacup in his hand. "Guess I'll have to wash this and return it tomorrow." He sighed. Well, what was a few more chores? He was more worried about Keigo. _You've been…to her house. Her HOUSE! YOU TRAITOR. _And then him flying around looking depressed and shedding tears of betrayal.

"Ichigo?"

He was abruptly snapped out of his dilemma by an all-to-familiar voice. He swiveled around only to see an extremely pissed Rukia staring up at him. Grabbing control of himself, he raised a hand in greeting.

"Yo."

"What are you doing up there? I thought you were heading home." Her voice was curious, but her eyes had narrowed and her chin had a peculiar tilt to it…

"Sensei asked me to deliver some papers to Inoue."

"Then what's with the teacup?" Ichigo's gaze snapped to his right hand.

"She invited me in for tea."

"And she let you leave with her cup?"

She had him there. But he did not want to explain about how he had gotten booted from the room by Tatsuki. Rukia would just have a field day with that and he didn't want her having something else over his head.

"Why are you here," he countered, deftly changing the subject. It caught her completely off guard and anger melted into shock.

"Eh?"

"Answer the question, midget." She twitched. _Pissed Rukia was back. _

"What did you say, you stupid carrot-top?"

_Che. "_What was that, you chappy obsessed fiend?"

"You heard me, _Strawberry_. Why don't you come down here and say that to my face?"

"It's too much trouble," he deadpanned.

Rukia gaped at him for a moment before glancing anxiously at her watch.

"Now look! I'm going to miss dinner with your family because of you." She glared at him.

"How is it _my _fault you went the wrong way?"

"You _did _leave me in the courtyard."

"And how many times have you been to my house now?"

Rukia looked flustered. "It's not like I've been there that often."

Ichigo crossed his arms and quirked an eyebrow. "Just every time you came to town."

"W-what! I don't stay at your house…every…" She tampered off.

Realizing it was true, she furiously thought of a way to counter without leaping to the second floor and kicking him. Ichigo watched her amused. A couple of minutes later, he realized, that he had grown accustomed to his daily arguments with his raven-haired shinigami. It was just as ordinary for him to argue with her as it was for him to brush his teeth or go to school. This should have come as some sort of surprise. But it didn't. He ran his fingers through his hair.

"Let's go," he said, walking down the stairs.

Rukia looked at him in surprise as he pulled up beside her. "What?"

He threw his book bag over his shoulder. "We're going to miss dinner if you just stand there. Let's go."

"You mean _together_?"

"It'll be just me if you keep standing there." The shock on her face slipped away, replaced by fury. She delivered a sharp kick to his shin.

"What was that for," he scowled, clutching his leg.

"For lying to me," she said simply.

"I didn't lie to you!"

She glared at him. "If you're fine with walking with me now, what's the difference with walking with me from school?"

"There's a huge difference! Rumors will form!"

Rukia kicked him sharply in the shin.

"The hell was that for!"

"You keep spouting crap about these rumors but you have never bothered explaining what they were!"

"You don't know what rumors are?" Ichigo gave her a pathetic look.

"D-Don't look at me like that!" She turned away in embarrassment.

"Pfft."

"Don't laugh at me, you fool!"

"I don't feel like telling you." As Rukia prepared to deliver her third kick (and looking, by far, the most devastating), Ichigo held up his hands hastily.

"I'll tell you! Just stop with the kicking." Rukia looked at him with a triumphant grin. Ichigo sighed and placed a hand on his hand. This was too troublesome.

"A rumor is…y'know…"

Rukia stared intently at him, trembling in anticipation. Ichigo glanced at her before characteristically scowling.

"…a rumor."

There was silence for a while.

"WHAT KIND OF EXPLANATION IS THAT!"

"IT'S NOT LIKE I'M A FREAKING DICTIONARY!"

A couple of lights started flickering, on disrupting their argument.

"You fool! Look at the time…We're late!"

"Oi." Rukia began to approach him. " Oi! What do you think you're doing?" She grabbed him by the neck of his collar and proceeded to drag him in the general direction of his house.

Ichigo tried to regain his footing. "You were lost to begin with! How the heck do you plan on directing us to my house!"

At least that stopped her.

"Well, I don't see you leading the way." She glared at him. Ichigo took a moment to straighten himself up.

"Then," he said, dusting himself off. "Come on, and if you can't keep up and get lost, I'm not coming back for you."

"I-I know that," she muttered, annoyed. "As if I couldn't keep up."

Ichigo looked at her face, revealing a tell-tale mixture of irritation and relief, and uncharacteristically smiled, glad it was dark enough so that she wouldn't notice.

**===.===**

Soifon wasn't exactly sure why she was here in Karakura town. It wasn't as if she particularly cared who Ichigo spent the rest of his life with. After Isshin had dismissed the captains and fled, while the other captains had dispersed, she had remained behind. Why? That was the very same question she was asking herself. _Why had she even come? _So she was still standing there. Confused.

"Soifon!" Her concentration was broken by a familiar voice.

"Y-Yoruichi-sama!" Of course this was the reason, even if she wasn't too fond of admitting it to herself.

"I'm surprised you decided to take part," she laughed, putting her arm around the captain. "You don't seem like the type."

"I-It's not like I particularly care."

Yoruichi looked at her quizzically. "Hmm?"

"Ah," Soifon held up her hands. "It's because I want to see how this turns out as it will play a monumental role in Soul Society." She said all of this fast, occasionally tripping over her words, and lookied more than a tad bit flustered at the end.

"Ehhhh…you haven't by chance fallen for Kurosaki-kun, have you?" Yoruichi looked up slyly at her.

"Of course not! I would never!" Yoruichi burst out laughing amidst a distraught-looking Soifon.

"I really need to teach you how to loosen up."

"W-what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing. But why don't we get you a gigai?"

"A g-gigai?" She looked a bit disgruntled at the thought. "I don't really need one…"

Yoruichi looked at her before grinning deviously. "Well, if we're going to mess with little Kurosaki-kun's love life, we have to blend in, don't we? Even my little Byakuya got one."

Soifon looked at Yoruichi in surprise. "You're participating too?" And then backtracking to what she had said, she quipped, "Byakuya!"

"Of course!" She chirped, in answer to both questions. "Now let's go to Sandal-hat's shop!"

The captain looked decidedly irked by mention of Urahara but she walked off wordlessly with a cheerful Yoruichi.

**===.===**

Byakuya could barely contain his anger. _They were living under the same house? _Of course, this was advantageous for the present situation, but nonetheless! This was _not _proper etiquette for an unmarried, unrelated, marriageable girl and boy. He would have to have a word later with Kurosaki Isshin.

For now, he was busy keeping his reiatsu under both Ichigo and Rukia's radar. He could not have them catching on. That would not do.

Thus he was gathering information from this dinner, so to speak. Considering the family was so loud, it was quite easy. But the actions between his beloved sister and that Kurosaki brat were disheartening to say the least.

"Ichigo, say grace."

"What did you say, you stupid midget?"

"You heard her Ichigo! No arguing with Rukia-chan!"

"What! Where's the sense in that!"

"My son needs more discipline it seems. I'm so sorry Rukia-chan."

"Wha-…SORRY? Discipline? You stupid-"

"That's okay, Otou-san."

Byakuya sighed. He wasn't getting anything from this conver…_otou-san? _She did not just call him…did not…

His hand started to tremble.

"But before grace, we must call in our guest!"

The captain's thoughts were interrupted by mention of this guest. His curiosity was piqued. Who could he have invited in such short time?

The house became eerily quiet. The next thing he heard was the door opening.

It couldn't be…did this guest somehow make it under his radar? Impossible…Kurosaki Isshin's head popped out of the doorway.

"Kuchiki Byakuya? You there?"

Byakuya nearly fell out of his tree. _He_ was the guest? Preposterous…his cover had been completely blown.

"_B-Byakuya! He's here? No. Freaking. Way." _Ichigo rushed out the door. "Where is he?"

Isshin looked up in amusement at the tree. "Sitting in there will not be good for your gigai, you know."

"_What's he doing in a tree?_" Ichigo looked at the tree with a mixture of horror and bafflement.

"That's of no concern of yours, Kurosaki Ichigo," Byakuya said coldly, revealing himself. He was clad in clothes he deemed suitable for the fashion of today's high fashioned teens.

"Wh-What's that supposed to mean!" He cried outraged. "And what are you wearing?"

"Ichigo! That's no way to treat a guest. Invite him in," Isshin admonished.

"Invite him in…" Ichigo turned to look at the captain. "Impossible."

"What's wrong with the way I dress?" _He would personally kill Urahara if he had recommended clothes that were beneath his status. _

Isshin hit his son deftly on the head. "My son's an idiot. Come on in."

"He's dressed like me! And let go of me you…"

"What's all the commotion about?" Rukia walked through the door. "Honestly, Ichigo, you act like you're tw-…eh?"

She was greeted to the sight of Ichigo and Isshin wrestling and Byakuya staring in confusion at his clothes.

"N-Nii-sama?"

Byakuya looked up. "Ah. Rukia. Perhaps you can tell this brute that my clothes are fashionable and that there is absolutely nothing wrong with them."

"I invited him for dinner," Isshin offered in way of an explanation.

"He is _not _dressed fashionably!"

"Didn't you just say he just dressed like you?" Isshin countered.

"Um…dinner's getting cold."

All four turned to stare at Yuzu, who had appeared in the doorway. At the sudden turn of events she turned red from embarrassment. "Just thought you all would like to know."

===.===

**A bit shorter than usual, sorry about that. But as usual, if you liked the chapter, please give a review. :] It totally makes my day. This chapter was totally Ichiruki-centric, perhaps as a reward for all of my reviewers (who, so far, tend to be Ichiruki fans). This is a little wake up call for other supporters of other pairings that are lurking. =) The number of reviews also directly affect how fast/long the next chapter is released/written.**

**ANYWAYS! Enough of that. **

**I apologize for any and all discrepancies and errors on my part. There usually are a couple I miss.**

**Next time, dinner with the Kurosaki family! **

**And what will Matsumoto do, now that Tatsuki has interrupted the faithful conversation between Ichigo and Orihime? **

**And what ever happened to Kenpachi and Yachiru? **

**Find out next time. :]**

**Until then…**


	4. Itadakimasu!

**And I'm back. :] Ten days faster this time, haha. Thank you SO MUCH for the reviews. And a BIG thank you for the tips! They really do help me improve. I love you reviewers from the bottom of my shallow heart. This chapter will be rather longer for you guys, also allowing me to do much more to both the characters and the storyline (and this really does show that reviews **_**do **_**impact the next chapter). So THANK YOU! **

**On a side note…Tatsuki really does seem to be in third place, doesn't she? Hopefully this story will become more ambiguous as it goes on…I don't know. I've always had a soft spot for childhood friends ending up together.**

**RECAP: Ichigo has been kicked out of Orihime's house by Tatsuki. To his dismal luck, he meets a very angry Rukia (not that he actually notices much of the anger). They finally leave (_together? _as in Rukia's words) for dinner with the Kurosaki home and who would know that they would have a guest who would be none other than Kuchiki Byakuya himself? **

**

* * *

**"Itadakimasu!"

Ichigo took a moment to send a deep glare to a certain man situated to his right. Rukia took the moment to elbow him in his gut.

He was caught by surprise. "What the hell was that for," he murmured angrily, rubbing his ribs.

Rukia refused to look at him, keeping her eyes trained on the food in front of her. "Don't glare at Nii-sama," she hissed.

"You little…I was _not _glaring at him." He picked up his glass indignantly. "I was making sure he knew how to use chopsticks." He made sure to say the last part loud enough so that it could be overheard.

Byakuya slowly put down his glass. "I hope you are not implying that I am an _idiot, _Kurosaki."

"N-not at all." Ichigo hastily picked up his fork. "This stuff looks amazing Yuzu," he commented, hastily changing the subject.

"Really, Onii-chan?" She beamed at him before quickly turning to their guest. "And Kuchiki-san, is it to your taste?"

Byakuya took a moment to analyze the cheerful but wary girl in front of him before replying. "What do you call this delicacy?"

Yuzu was shocked. "Eh? You don't know what spaghetti is?"

Ichigo nearly spit out his food. "Ah, Yuzu, this man, he just comes from out of town. Right Rukia?" Rukia, too busy trying to pick up a meatball, ignored him. Ichigo looked like he was ready to kill her. "Rukia!"

"Ah, Masaki! Look at our son!"

"Ichi-nii, could you please pry our old man off the wall? He's embarrassing." Karin opened her eyes and looked her brother dead in the face. "We have a guest who actually has manners."

Ichigo stopped glaring at Rukia and turned, with apprehension, to find his father plastered to a certain poster.

"Masaki!" Tears were streaming down his face. Ichigo almost gagged. "Our son is finally asking for Rukia's hand in marriage!" He didn't even notice his son's jaw drop. "I'm finally going to be a grandfather!"

Byakuya's mouth twitched. Ichigo thought he was going to die. Rukia stopped her relentless pursuit of the meatball. Karin didn't look the least bit surprised. And Yuzu…

"Onii-chan's…getting married?" Her eyes started to tear up.

Ichigo frantically put up his hands. "No way in hell." He pointed viciously at Rukia. "And even if I did, it wouldn't be to this midget."

Byakuya placed his hands on the table and pulled himself to his feet. Ichigo looked at him warily. _Maybe midget wasn't the best word to use. _

A second later he was on the ground clutching his leg, Rukia glowering at him from her chair.

"Midget?" She hissed.

"Why are you so shocked, Yuzu?" Karin picked up her plate. She was the only one to finish, everyone else being too preoccupied with the current situation. "It's been coming for ages."

"Eh?" Yuzu looked shocked. "Really?"

Ichigo picked himself up abruptly. "It has not!"

"Onii-chan, does that mean I get to be an aunt?" Yuzu looked at him in delight. "And a bridesmaid?"

Ichigo was taken aback but couldn't bring himself to tell her otherwise.

"Kurosaki."

Ichigo froze. He had forgotten all about Byakuya. One of the most deadly men in Soul Society. A man who was about to kill him because of his idiotic father spouting crap about him marrying his beloved sister.

"Y-Yeah?"

Byakuya seemed to tower over him. "Please tell me what exactly is wrong with my sister."

"What?" He was flabbergasted.

"You heard me." His voice was calm, his body deceptively relaxed… but his voice was tight and laced with venom. "What exactly is so wrong with marrying my sister?"

Ichigo nearly choked on his own spit. "_Marry?_"

It seems that with the entrance of her brother, some semblance of the conversation had made its way to Rukia's ears.

"N-Nii-sama!" Her cheeks were tinted red.

"I don't see why you of all people are so surprised," Byakuya said, directing his voice towards Ichigo and completely ignoring his sister. "After all your father is-…"

Isshin suddenly appeared behind Byakuya and placed a firm hand over his mouth.

"Let's all eat this delicious food before it gets cold. And sake!" He grinned. "We must have sake for the two of us…" Isshin trailed off when he noticed Byakuya's body had become dangerously stiff but recovered quickly and pretended not to notice. "Here's your seat," he said, immediately letting go. "And here's mine." He looked expectantly at the two still standing.

Rukia quickly followed suit, determined to go along with the change in conversation.

"Hurry up Ichigo, Nii-sama's waiting." She refused to look at him.

Ichigo's look of confusion was wiped away with irritation. "Yeah, yeah."

A moment later and for the second time that night, "Itadakimasu!"

* * *

Two people were running. Or more like, one person sitting on the other person...who was the one that was actually running. And they weren't running really. More like…dashing…and passing cars in a flurry. It was lucky no human could see them. At least…ones without spiritual power.

"Ken-chan?" A girl with pink hair popped out over the man's head.

"Mhhm?" He was running through the street, precariously jumping over cars. A bright green sign read, _Tokyo, Two Miles. _

"Sandle-hat's shop sure is far, isn't it."

"Yep. Don't know why it's so far from Ichigo though."

There was silence for a while. _Welcome to Tokyo. _They ran through multiple intersections, interweaving through numerous traffic jams.

_So this is what they called 'rush hour.'_

The pink hair popped out again. "Do we really need those body things?"

"Hmmm?" Kenpachi looked up. The girl looked back to the road.

"Left!"

He veered to the left and kept running.

"Why don't we just find Icchi," she asked, brightly. "Then you can fight him and make him marry Tat-chan."

Kenpachi stopped and was silent. A moment later he patted the girl on the head.

"Yachiru," he maliciously grinned. "That's the best idea you've had all day."

He closed his eyes and a couple of seconds they flew up with determination.

"Found ya, Ichigo."

* * *

"Ichigo!"

"Hmm?" Ichigo turned around to see Tatsuki running after him. She stopped in front of him.

"Tatsuki?" Ichigo looked at her curiously. "You're not with Inoue?"

Tatsuki glared at him. "I could say the same to you."

Ichigo scowled. "I'm not always around Rukia."

"I didn't say Rukia," she smirked. "Is she just always on your mind?"

Ichigo twitched and resumed walking, Tatsuki trailing behind. "We're just friends."

"Yeah right." She snuck a peak at him from the corner of her eye. "You know what everyone says."

Tatsuki acted as if she was commenting mindlessly, but she was, in reality, gauging Ichigo's reactions. She had to know if it was true…if there was any merit at all to those damning rumors.

"And this is why we don't walk home together," he grumbled.

Tatsuki looked at him strangely. "We live, basically, in different directions."

"Huh?" Ichigo looked at her in confusion.

Realization dawned on Tatsuki's face and she rounded on him. "You are dating her!" She felt a burning sensation in her chest. Heartburn? At her age?

"Wh-What the hell? Where'd that come from?" He backed up a little, appearing defensive.

"Why else would you walk home together," she demanded. Her face was inches away from his.

Ichigo had dug himself into his own hole. He couldn't tell her they lived together…but…

"We just live in the same direction is all," he said, nonchalantly…weaseling his way out of another situation. Tatsuki pulled away in relief. The heartburn had stopped, anyways.

In the midst of her catch-up session, Ichigo had ended up a couple of feet away from her, and he was still walking.

"You coming?" He had turned to stare at her.

"O-Of course!" Tatsuki jogged a bit to catch up. "Seriously, acting all high and mighty."

Ichigo raised his eyebrows. "You were the one who freaked and kicked me out of Inoue's house."

"Shut up." Tatsuki ran up ahead and turned on him, sticking out her tongue. "You're the one that stole her cup."

"Why you…" He glared at her. "What was I supposed to do, with you about to chop off my head?" He fumbled through his pack. "And I didn't _steal _it, I'm returning it," he declared, holding out the cup as if it was a dead snake.

Tatsuki looked at him skeptically, "Did you even wash it?"

"Of course!" Tatsuki burst out laughing at an indignant Ichigo.

He scowled. "What are you laughing at?"

At Ichigo's look, Tatsuki calmed down and continued walking.

"Che, ignoring me," Ichigo muttered.

Tatsuki smiled and gazed at the sky.

After a bit of walking, she replied…but soft enough that Ichigo almost didn't catch it.

"It just reminded me of before."

* * *

"I _still _can't believe that she kicked Ichigo out of _Hime's_ house," Matsumoto fumed. "Did you see that atmosphere? They were totally about to…" She stopped abruptly.

Matsumoto turned to face Hitsugaya. He crashed into her.

"What did you stop walking for?" He asked, irritated.

His lieutenant stared at him. "You're normally curious after I stop before something you shouldn't know." Hitsugaya frowned at her.

"What shouldn't I know?"

"Ehhhh…" Matsumoto looked at him suspiciously. "You seemed lost in thought for a moment there."

He twitched angrily. "Answer my question, Matsumoto!"

"You weren't, by chance," She looked at him, square in the face. "…thinking of Momo-chan were you?"

Hitsugaya went beat red and turned away swiftly. "Why would I be thinking of her?"

Matsumoto grinned deviously. "I don't know." When her Captain seemed to relax, she continued. "Only that she came to the real world with us, and you haven't seen her since."

She took great pleasure in watching her Captain squirm.

"I-I wasn't worried." Hitsugaya was doing his utmost best at defending himself. He feared he was failing miserably. "I was just curious, is all."

Matsumoto looked at him for a moment, before straightening. "Is that so?" She started walking away.

Hitsugaya looked at her in surprise. She left him alone? There was no way she bought that.

"Captain, I'm going to leave you behind if you just keep sitting there," Matsumoto called over her shoulder.

He frowned. "I'm not a child, Matsumoto. I can always just catch up."

"Geez." Matsumoto backtracked and grabbed him by the arm. "I think I'm going to have to drag you everywhere." Hitsugaya stumbled before regaining his balance.

"I'm fine without you," he muttered, trying to keep his balance while his lieutenant proceeded to drag him along.

"Then you'll just be wandering behind me getting further back until you end up getting lost in the crowd." She smiled wistfully to herself. Sometimes she really did wish he was that naïve.

Hitsugaya's face went beat red. "I told you, I'm not a child!" He tugged his hand away. Matsumoto looked at him in shock.

"I'm a Captain," he was staring at the ground. "Your Captain." Her shock melted away and was replaced by a gentle smile.

Hitsugaya was still staring at the ground when she enveloped him in a hug. He tried to pull away, as he normally would in such a situation, but she held him firm.

"Oi, Matsmuoto," he muttered, trying to push away. "Let go."

"I know."

"Then let go." Her hands were going nowhere. He was getting nowhere….he had half a mind to just give up and stand there with half a million passersby, staring at them.

"Sometimes I just forget."

After a moment, Hitsugaya muttered, "What, to let go? How does anyone forget to let go…"

Matsumoto burst out laughing. "Matsumoto you're strangling me!"

She stared down at him and let go. "Oh, sorry Captain."

He dusted himself off, impatiently. "Weren't we going somewhere?"

"Of course!" She grabbed him by the hand and took off.

The only difference was that this time, Hitsugaya didn't bother trying to get away.

He justified it by telling himself that it was in fear of another smothering hugging scene.

* * *

"Ichigoooo!"

And here they went again. Keigo came running up to him, tears streaming down his face.

Somehow, he had expected this.

"Ichigo, I can't believe you!" Yes, here it was. How he found out about the cup, he didn't care to ask. Keigo always had his ways. Ichigo sighed. But it wasn't as if he hadn't seen it coming.

"You walked to school with Arisawa!" Rukia looked sharply over at Ichigo, but he didn't notice.

Eh?

Ichigo looked up in surprise. "Arisawa…you mean Tatsuki?"

In an instant Ichigo realized that he had been blind - Keigo's tears were not tears of sadness…they were tears of happiness.

"Finally! The day has come!" Keigo had his fingers interlaced and raised to the heavens. "Thank you, Kami-sama!"

Staring at him, Ichigo had enough and finally kicked his best friend through a couple of desks.

"What's your problem?" He scowled. "It's way too early for this."

"I-I'm in such a good mood, I'll just ignore that," Keigo laughed, pulling himself, shakily, to his feet. "But now Kuchiki-san and Hime-chan are free!"

Ichigo twitched. "They were never tied to me to begin with, you idiot." Rukia's eyes narrowed.

"You were dating Arisawa-san, Kurosaki-kun?"

Ichigo's gaze snapped to Rukia. "I never said that, _Kuchiki-san_."

That fake voice had always irritated him. It never ceased to surprise him that no one caught on to such bad acting.

"Ah, Kurosaki-kun!" The impending argument was interrupted by Orihime, as she came barreling towards him. "I'm so sorry about the other day." She smiled weakly.

Ichigo kept his face blank. "No worries," he dug through his bag, procuring her teacup. "Sorry about taking this."

Keigo watched this scene unfold rather calmly. He was quite proud of himself. But the moment their hands touched with the passing of the cup, he exploded.

"You…you…brute!" The tears he was crying were real this time. Ichigo looked at him, exasperated.

"You're cheating on Arisawa!" Keigo bit his lip. "You two-timer! Taking Hime-chan too!"

Orihime stared at Keigo. "Kurosaki-kun…is dating Tatsuki?" Her lips faltered. "No way," she smiled. "Tatsuki-chan wouldn't do that."

"Do what…date me?" Ichigo asked. "Am I not datable or something?" His perpetual frown deepened.

"Ah…" She waved her hands frantically. "That's not what I meant."

"Meant what?" Tatsuki appeared besides Orihime. "I didn't think you'd come today, with your cold. Sorry I didn't wait for you."

Orihime smiled, "No problem…Ano, Tatsuki-chan?" Tatsuki turned to look at her friend, with interest.

"Are you…and Kurosaki-kun…" She tapped her index fingers together nervously.

"Are we what?" Tatsuki asked bluntly.

"Are you guys dating," Rukia finished, decidedly irritated.

Her mouth fell open. "Are we WHAT?"

The door opened and Tsukasa-sensei walked in, disrupting the conversation.

"Alright, alright. Take your seats."

"Ichigo, what did you tell them," Tatsuki hissed, as she took her seat.

"Nothing," he muttered. "Keigo came in here, ranting about it himself."

"Quiet down!"

Ichigo shut up quickly, remembering the last instance. Rukia was staring viciously at the chalkboard, and Orihime looked as if she was trying hard not to cry.

"We have another transfer student today." Ichigo inwardly groaned and slammed his head on his desk. Just as his day couldn't get any worse. "Two, actually." He gestured towards the door. "Well, don't just stand there."

"Kyaaa! He's so cute!"

"She's…so…hot!"

"He's really a senior in high school? Oh…and that hair!"

"Look at her cleavage!"

"Ahhhh, I wonder if he has a girlfriend!"

"To hell with that, you think he has a girlfriend?"

Ichigo raised his head, in curiosity. It couldn't be…

"Present yourselves to the class."

"Hitsugaya Toushiro. Pleased to meet you," he mumbled.

His companion beamed at the class. "Matsumoto Rangiku. Likewise."

"And there you have it, give them your regards!"

There was a huge, albeit silent (after one poor soul got doomed to the same fate Ichigo was subject to), commotion as the two _transfer _students were given their seats.

Ichigo's jaw had dropped open. Rukia had temporarily forgotten her anger due to shock. Orihime was smiling. Tatsuki was still mad.

He slammed his head once more on his desk. _ Just as his life couldn't get any worse. _

_

* * *

_**And there you have it. =) Longer by aprox. 700-800 words or more. Not too sure. Anyways, I'm pretty sure some discrepancies exist, because there were a couple of things I didn't know - *like what Keigo called Orihime* - and I couldn't look up. I was trying to get this out today, so I couldn't go review episodes to find out. **

**Once more, I apologize for all mistakes and discrepancies I missed while rereading. **

**And before I forget, please review! Unlike voting in presidential elections, one review makes sooo much difference. :]**

**Next time! **

**An unexpected character is revealed!**

**Kenpachi and Yachiru finally meet…?**

**How will Hitsugaya and Matsumoto commit mayhem?**

**And what has Renji been doing, all this time? Not to mention Hinamori…and that last Captain!**

**Find out…**

**Until next time. **


	5. Expect the Unexpected

**So sorry for the late release! I had no idea how to continue until last night…when I started rereading the series due to mild insomnia. Anyways, once again, my most sincerest thanks to all of my LOVELY reviewers! You are sooo appreciated. Tips and suggestions are def. extremely helpful! So thank you!**

**On a side note, I just realized that the only characters I call by last name…are Hitsugaya and Matsumoto. Though, for consistency issues, I'll leave it, I wish I hadn't done that to begin with. ^^"**

**Recap: Matsumoto continued to have fun teasing her young Captain and ranting about the failed 'get Ichigo and Orihime to do **_**stuff**_**' escapade. The Kurosaki family has dinner with the Kuchiki siblings, and what's this? Matsumoto and Hitsugaya transfer into Ichigo's class?**

**

* * *

**

A young man was lounging on a chair outside, eyes closed. The shop was quiet, the loud boy - Jinta, if he remembered correctly - and the girl he was always torturing, Ururu, had disappeared off somewhere. The afternoon sun was bearing down on pale skin, and he no doubt would have to pay the repercussions later, but for now he had decided he would pay it no notice.

"You weren't planning on kicking my chair over, were you, Urahara?" He cracked an eye open to glare at the older man standing next to him, the word _guilty _plastered all over his face.

Urahara straightened up, hiding his cane behind his back. "Not at all. Would never dream of it."

The young man closed his eyes again and smiled, ignoring the man's hasty retreat into his shop.

"Gin, you can't be expecting to just laze around all day by yourself, are you?"

The ex-captain slowly opened his eyes.

"You too?" He let out a disheartening sigh and, at the insistent glare, put up a show of getting out of his seat. "Is it really that hard to take a nap around here?" He gave her a pathetic look.

"Why are you getting up?" Gin looked at her.

"What?" He eyed her warily. "You…wanted me to get up right?"

"I just wanted to join you," she grinned. He looked at her, slightly startled and opened his mouth to say something. But before he could get in a word otherwise, she was happily curled up on top of his stomach.

"Eh…" He looked at her in mild dismay. "It's not that I mind, but Soi Fon isn't going to be too happy about this."

She turned to look at him, lazily. "You say something?"

He painted on a pleasant smile. "I was just saying that it'd be more comfortable if you reverted to your cat form, as you'd be…lighter."

Yoruchi was quiet for a while before opening her eyes to slits. "You know, it's not nice to call a girl fat."

"Eh?" Gin was caught by surprise. "That's not what I…"

"What are you…?" The ex-captain looked up from his predicament with his feline friend, only to be faced with another, more potent one. He held up his hands in defense.

He swiftly looked between the two. "This…It's not what it looks like."

* * *

"Ahh, did you have to hit me so hard?" Gin was nursing a bruise to his temple with a slight frown. Soi Fon's face was red from embarrassment.

"I'm…sorry I overreacted." Gin looked at her mildly.

"Well, it's not as if I didn't expect it." The flustered captain turned on him angrily.

"What's that supposed to me?" She hissed, fingers balled into tight fists.

He held up his hands hastily. "Nothing at all." He had better watch his tongue.

After the…incident…in front of the shop, the three of them had moved into the shop, Urahara watching the scene unfold with much amusement as he fanned himself.

"Being in exile sure is hard," he mused. Then, realizing something, he turned to look at Soi Fon. "But why are you here?"

Caught by surprise from the sudden change of topic, Soi Fon looked at him in confusion. "Why am I…" Then realization struck her. "You don't know?"

"Well an exiled Captain doesn't exactly get up to date information."

Yoruichi sighed, planting herself next to him. "If you hadn't tried to play the hero, you never would have gotten exiled in the first place and then you'd know about the little…game…the Captains are having."

Gin's interest was instantly piqued. "Game?"

Soi Fon sighed. "The Captains' and Lieutenants' are…"

"…messing with Ichigo's love life," Urahara finished cheerfully.

Soi Fon looked at him taken aback, cheeks red. "That is not true."

"Would you call it something different?" He quirked an eyebrow.

She stared decisively down at her hands while replying. "We are deriving the most suitable match for Ichigo based on Soul Society's needs…"

Yoruichi burst out laughing. It seemed like after today, Soi Fon's cheeks would be perpetually stained red.

"Wha-" Yoruichi slapped Soi Fon on the shoulder. "You know you're messing with his love life," she chuckled.

"Well that's funny," Gin commented. "I never would have thought you were the type to engage in such activities."

Soi Fon was taken aback. "I-I…" She regained her composure. "Even I think it's best to have…fun…now and then."

"Hmmm…" Gin realized that it was probably because of a certain someone that she had even bothered coming at all. But he decided he would drop it. There were other things he was more concerned about anyways. "So…the participants?"

Eager with this change in topic, Soi Fon readily replied. "Captains, Kuchiki, Zaraki, Hitsugaya and Ukitake."

Gin nodded. "Hmm. Ukitake as well, in his state? Well then…Lieutenants?"

"Lieutenants, Hinamori, Matsumoto, Ren-"

"Rangiku?" Gin interrupted her abruptly. "She's participating?" Soi Fon nodded mutely.

"And this messing with Ichigo's romantic life…"

"Getting him together with Tatsuki Arisawa, Inoue Orihime, or Kuchiki Rukia," she finished, finally relaxed after the earlier ordeal.

"Kuchiki…" Gin mused over the name. "He's okay with his sister as a candidate?" He asked skeptically. When she opened her mouth to reply, he stopped her. "Never mind, don't answer that. Rangiku, who is she supporting?"

Soi Fon sighed. "She never mentioned, and it's not like I keep tabs on the rest of the Captains."

The corners of Gin's mouth turned downwards. "Of course not."

"Ho. Ho. Ho." Urahara laughed into his fan. "I might happen to know of this information of which you seek."

Gin looked at the older man for an instant before replying with a cold smile. "Then of course you're going to tell me…right?"

Urahara's smile faltered. "Inoue Orihime." As he watched the ex-captain leave the store, he fluttered his fan faster and sighed. "That man just can't take a joke."

"Or you just have lousy jokes," Soi Fon quipped.

He smiled. "Touché."

Yoruichi had reverted into her cat form and was loudly purring, fallen asleep in what had only been a few minutes.

Soi Fon noted this before getting up. "I'm going to go explore a bit, get a better feel for this town," she said, before walking out. After she left, Urahara waited a precious fifteen seconds before prodding Yoruichi with his stick.

"What," she muttered, stretching.

"That ploy was brilliant, I was starting to think they'd never leave." The cat looked at him. "Don't tell me you actually fell asleep? When we have mayhem to wreak before school is out?"

Yoruichi looked at him lazily before replying. "Give me another five minutes."

* * *

Ichigo was bored out of his mind. Don't get him wrong, he loved plays. He enjoyed nothing more than reading a play written by Shakespeare or even one of those other contemporary playwrights. But even he didn't enjoy listening to their teacher rant about this random play by some author whose name he couldn't remember…or perhaps never heard? Both of which were apparently famous by the way his teacher and his classmates were reacting. Or most of his classmates.

Irritated by this lack of sanity, he scribbled something furiously on a scratch piece of paper and chucked it at a certain midget's head.

He watched as she unfolded it, scribbled furiously, and (somehow) managed to discreetly chuck it back behind her. He made sure that the teacher was still completely infatuated by whatever play he was gushing about before proceeding to read the message.

_No idea. Why don't you ask someone you actually walk to school with?_

Ichigo felt his mouth drop open. She couldn't be serious?

"_Rukia," _he hissed. When she refused to turn around he swore under his breath.

"_Oi." _Now he was pretty sure she was ignoring him. "_Rukia!" _

"What!" She rounded on him. "What in the world do you want?" The class was dead silent.

"Is there something wrong, Kuchiki?"

"N-Nothing, sensei." Rukia turned around in her seat silently, but not before throwing a certain death glare at the berry sitting behind her.

"So, by a _personal_ request of this author, we will be enacting this play," Tsukasa-sensei slapped the board. The roles are as follows:

_Kurosaki Ichigo_

_Kuchiki Rukia_

_Ishida Uryu_

_Kunieda Ryo_

_Takanashi Rie_

Ichigo was staring at the board. After a few seconds of stupor, he raised his hand.

"What is it, Kurosaki?"

"Are those the roles…" He swallowed. "…or the people in it?"

Tsukasa-sensei looked back at the board and realization finally dawned upon him. "T-There must be…ah." Ichigo relaxed. There had obviously been some mistake. There's no way there's an actual, legit, play with all of their first AND last names in it. It'd be too much of a coincidence.

An instant later, Ichigo realized something of horrible importance. He wasn't actually…_in _this unknown, god-forsaken play, was he?

"These are…students ranked the highest in the class…in order." The teacher looked extremely uncomfortable. "My mistake. These are the actual lead roles…"

_Raiden_

_Masumi_

_Mana_

_Cho_

_Junko_

_Kai_

_Ken_

"Sensei!" The teacher turned around and found the source of the sound to be the new transfer student.

"What is it…err…" He glanced down at his list. "Matsumoto?"

"Yes sensei!" She stood up. "I was wondering how you were choosing the leads!"

Tsukasa-sensei smiled. "Well, the author has specifically asked for two people in this very class, to uphold the honor of having the two leading roles."

"You mean the prince and the princess?"

Ichigo nearly gagged. How cliché was this? Was this really a legit play?

"More accurately, Matsumoto, the princess and the young man who falls in love with her."

Ichigo could barely contain his laughter. He felt sorry for the poor sods who had those roles.

"But sensei," Matsumoto put on a sad smile. "I was hoping we could nominate the candidates for those roles…"

The teacher pushed up his glasses. "You wish to go against the author's wishes?"

Matsumoto held up her hands defensively. "O-Of course not."

"Matsumoto, sit _down_," Hitsugaya hissed, next to her. "You're making a fool of yourself."

"Then it's settled," Tsukasa-sensei slammed his hands on the desk. "Kurosaki will play the male lead."

Ichigo started to choke on air. Rukia turned around to watch, smirking. "I was going to think up some way to get even, but I think that watching you suffer with this is plenty."

"You…" Ichigo tried to regain his composure. It was hard. "…horrible, chappy-obsessed, midget…"

Rukia twitched. "I don't feel the slightest bit sorry for you."

"I think that was a brilliant decision, sensei!" Ichigo immediately sat up, determine to crush the source of the comment. Matsumoto was grinning back at him. He should have known she was behind this. He groaned inwardly.

Matsumoto was excited. She wasn't sure who exactly this author was, but he had read her mind perfectly. Ichigo and Orihime were totally the perfect match, as prince and princess or boy and princess or whatever it was. With this, Ichigo would totally realize his love for Orihime!

"And the female lead is Tatsuki."

"_WHAT?" _Matsumoto had flown into an rage before Tatsuki could react. "What kind of vile author is this anyways? The lead should obviously be Hime!"

Orihime looked utterly horrified that Matsumoto was protesting so strongly in her favor…not that she wouldn't mind Ichigo actually falling in love with her, even if it was just acting.

Ichigo could have sworn he heard Tatsuki gagging in the background.

"I demand you reassign these characters!" Ichigo stood up.

"I agree!" Matsumoto had her hands firmly planted on the desk, determination written across her face.

"You better reassign these characters," Tatsuki said vehemently.

Rukia was leaning on her arm, staring out the window listlessly. "You must be secretly happy Ichigo," she muttered.

She assumed she was right when she didn't get a response.

* * *

"And the female lead is Tatsuki."

Urahara was panicking now. In a daze, he must have accidentally switched character assignments between Rukia and Tatsuki…and he was quite sure that Yoruichi wasn't going to be the slightest bit happy about that. And if she wasn't happy…Soi Fon was going to castrate him.

"Ano…Yoruichi…san…" He was trying to smile, but that was proving very hard, sitting on a tree branch, with one seriously pissed off kitty glaring at you.

"I thought we agreed that Rukia would be the main lead." Yoruichi wasn't looking at him anymore, and her voice sounded calm and collected. If he was just any old body, he'd think he was in the clear. Yet he wasn't. And neither was Soi Fon. And he _really _didn't want to be castrated.

"W-We did…" He was slowly inching his way off of the tree branch. Maybe she wouldn't notice if he left quietly. "At least the spoiled princess was the same…"

"And?" All was quiet.

"I…might have gotten bored while you were sleeping…" He chuckled, shakily. "…and played around with the assignments…and I might have…accidentally, of course…forgotten…" He wiped a drop of sweat from his brow.

"…to change them back." _Oh_ _Kami-sama. Pray for me. _

* * *

Renji could have laughed out loud. This couldn't have played out better. He was absolutely floored that his plan had worked with such precision. Of course, his luck was what he had ultimately guaranteed his success, him overhearing Urahara's plans in his shop. When those two were about to leave, he had walked in, all cool and nonchalant, and asked for the substitute teachers license (fake, of course) that he had ordered. And while that fool was busy getting it out of the back, and Yoruichi was sleeping, he had swiped the names.

Ah, sometimes his genius astounded even him. Too bad he'd never get the credit he deserved.

"Abarai-sensei?"

"Eh?" The door had opened, revealing his colleague, Tsukasa-sensei. On the board behind him was a full written list of the characters in the play, the rest, he assumed, having been nominated by the rest of the class.

_Raiden: Son of a Merchant - Ichigo _

_Masumi: Priest- Mizuiro _

_Mana: Maid- Rukia _

_Cho: Princess- Tatsuki _

_Junko: Spoiled Princess - Orihime _

_Kai: Butler - Chad _

_Ken: King - Uryu _

"Abarai-sensei?"

"Ah!" Renji straightened up. "Sorry. I dropped…my wallet." He smiled awkwardly.

"Of…course." His 'colleague' continued past him. "Well then, class is all yours, substitute."

Renji twitched angrily. "Yeah, thanks." At least he managed not to bite the guys head off even if the guy was a pain in the ass.

"Argh, I can't believe this. Hime's the spoiled princess?" He stopped an inch away from walking into the classroom. _Matsumoto was there? _

"Calm down, Matsumoto. She's still a princess right? It's all fine." Renji could barely keep the horror he felt from showing on his face. This was possibly one of the worst possible situations ever. _Hitsugaya as well? With so many of them surrounding Ichigo…he was bound to realize that something was up._

"Sensei sure is late, isn't he?" Oh thank god. He didn't recognize that one.

"Yeah, weird isn't it?" That was Orihime? Renji let out a deep breath. There was no helping the situation, he had to go in…he just had to hope that Ichigo was dense enough to not figure out this situation.

He walked through the door.

* * *

**Aw geez. I didn't get to Hinamori, Ukitake, or Kenpachi and Yachiru today…for the last too, there's a grand reason for. As I said in the above author's note, I figured out how to write this chapter last night/this morning, so I had to change some things around, namely the entrance of the latter two. Hinamori and Ukitake…well, they were just a miscalculation. I had no idea that these scenes would take up so many words AND take me so long to write. **

**Once again, I apologize for any discrepancies and errors *grammatical or otherwise* on my part. I always do miss something on re-reading. **

**Anyways, on the female lead. I have a nagging suspicion that most of you guys thought it'd be Rukia *with good reason, I myself thought it would be*. But then I had a better idea…which has to do with Kenpachi and Yachiru's appearance. I'm not spoiling anymore…but perhaps some of you have already figured it out?**

**Oh, and any souls curious about the 'deeper meaning' in the names:**

Raiden: Lightening

Masumi True Lucidity

Mana: Affection/Love

Cho: Beautiful

Junko: Obedient Child

Ken: Strong

**Well, I'm not going to include any 'next time' things, just in case something like this happens again. But I will ask for reviews again, cause it's totally the reviews that a) make this fic better b) keep it not-dropped and c) keep me wanting to write.**

**So please take a second and just drop a review off. :] One review totally makes a world of a difference. **


	6. Acting 101

**An early-ish release from me. :] I was so happy due to all the nice reviews that I actually decided to update faster than I normally do *a lot faster than my last update anyways*. Thank you to my lovely, lovely, reviewers. You guys truly make my day. ^_^**

**It came to my attention that some of you might have missed the role assignments due to my putting them just above the author's note...****my bad. ^^" I'll incorporate the list into the story again.**

**Slight warning: Mild swearing up ahead, but then again…this is rated T for a reason. :]**

**Recap: Gin is introduced as he lounges in front of Urahara's shop. Sandle Hat himself is caught in the midst of a horrible predicament as it comes to light *at least in Yoruichi's eyes* that he was the cause of a dreadful misplacement…both Rukia and Tatsuki's roles were switched. Unbeknownst to them at the moment, it was actually the devious plot of one, Abarai Renji who was about to enter the classroom as a teacher.**

* * *

"I can't take this anymore!" Ichigo slammed his script on the floor and rounded on Rukia.

"Hmmm?" Rukia was sprawled across Ichigo's bed, reading a fashion magazine. After a notable silence, she spared him a withering glance. "Having trouble professing your love to your girlfriend?"

Ichigo gaped at her. "For the umpteenth time, she's _not _my girlfriend." Frustrated by the forces that seemed to be against him, he picked up the script. "And shouldn't you be practicing your role instead of," he glanced down at the reading material she had in her hand. "Reading gossip?"

Rukia frowned at him. "For your information, this," she waved the pages in his face. "Is not gossip, it is vital information on the conventional world. And," she placed the magazine face down on the bed and sat up. "I have my part down pat." She smiled devilishly.

He looked at her for a moment. "I wonder why I don't believe that," he deadpanned. Rukia glared at him.

"What, shall I _show _you then?" She got up furiously from the bed and stalked across the floor.

"You're acting is as good as your drawings," Ichigo shook his head. "They both suck."

"How _dare _you?" She screeched at him. Ichigo, stupefied by the extreme reaction he had suddenly brought on, dropped his script for the third time that day (the first was when he had somersaulted, mid-acting, in order to dodge one of his father's random attacks).

"What?" He asked, bewildered. "Insult your acting? Your drawings?" He watched in growing horror as she collapsed on his floor. Ichigo was starting to feel more and more like an A-class jerk wad. But…she was always sensitive about her drawing skills but never _this _sensitive.

"This was for the -" Ichigo's eyes widened in alarm as Rukia's face jerked as if an unknown forced had slapped her with extreme force.

He took a step towards her, noticeably startled. "R-Rukia?"

"The King will have my head," she wailed. Ichigo stopped in his tracks. _The King? _Rukia opened her eyes and smirked. "What was that about my acting?"

"Oh, brilliant, very funny," he muttered, folding his arms. "And here I was concerned about your well-being."

The grin on Rukia's face widened. "You were worried about me, were you?"

Ichigo gave a start. Bested twice in a day by this midget? He didn't think so. "If something happened to you, my stupid father would have my head," he deftly countered.

"Hmmm? Really?" Rukia picked herself off the floor, smile still growing.

"Of course it is, you chappy-obsessed freak," he crossed his arms defiantly, begging her to differ.

"The you wouldn't be wanting this bad-actor's help with your part which is…what, ten percent of your semester grade? Would you, _Strawberry?_" She retorted, resuming her original spot on Ichigo's bed. She reopened her magazine.

Ichigo's mind was going into overdrive. Sure, he knew that Rukia's acting was god-awful…but for some reason, those idiots at his school seemed to buy it one hundred percent. And he really didn't want his grade dropping over some piece of crap like this…

His frown deepened. Now that he had overtaken his pride, the only problem left was how to ask the raven-haired midget. Then he remembered what he had bought at the store on his way back and inwardly grinned. Sometimes, walking home alone was a good thing.

Rukia eyed Ichigo as he walked over to his backpack, and she internally sighed. Of course he was too pigheaded to ask her for help.

He rifled through his bag, and finally found the package he was looking for.

"If you help me I'll give you this limited edition Chappy plush doll," he said, straight-faced, as he pulled it out of his pack.

Rukia, out of his bed in a matter of seconds, stared up at his face as if this was a matter of grave importance. She completely ignored the obvious question…which was why _he had such an item in the first place._

"It's a deal," she agreed. And immediately grabbed the plushie out his hands.

* * *

"Now how do I get him to actually kiss her," Ukitake mused, as he watched the scene unfold. While the rest of the Captains had decided upon immediate action, he alone had decided along the more intellectual root…meaning, that he had gathered information.

In this business of love games and such, information trumped even the most devious of plans. And right now, his information was extensive. He knew each of the players weaknesses, joys, loves, and everything except…perhaps…their innermost thoughts.

He knew that Arisawa Tatsuki was a close childhood friend of this person. He knew that Inoue Orihime was in love with Kurosaki Ichigo. But he also knew that his subordinate was in love with the same man, even if she had yet to admit it to herself. And if there was anything he had learned in his line of work, it was that his subordinates' were the closest he had to family, and he would go to great lengths to help them achieve happiness.

There was also the fact he was a lot closer to Rukia than he was to most, with the exception of his upper chairs. Like a dear friend. And after the ordeal with Kaien…

Ukitake started to cough violently. When he was finally able to uncover his mouth, he found his hand once again coated in a slimy film of blood. He sighed.

Getting Ichigo to purchase the Chappy doll hadn't proved too hard. Rather, the information that had surrounded it was much harder to get a hold of.

An older, sickly, looking man, asking questions about a young high school girl and boy?

Not the best form of cover. But he had eventually found out about Rukia's obsession with these so-called Chappy rabbits, and he had found out about Ichigo's tendency to do nice things…if he was alone.

And thus it all came back to the one question still stark in his mind. Perhaps more information was necessary after all.

"How in the world do I get them to kiss?"

* * *

Tatsuki was lying on her bed, script held out in front of her, her face growing increasingly red with every page her eyes fell across. Finally, unable to take the torturous reading, she chucked the book across her room.

"Geez!" She ran her fingers through her hair furiously. It was as if this play's whole purpose was to be a love story. A hot, steamy love story. She was lucky there were no sex scenes.

Wait.

The unchecked possibility made her blood run cold and she bolted upright and made for the fallen script. If there was such a scene, their teacher couldn't possibly, _legally_, make them…

After a couple of minutes, Tatsuki sighed from relief and leaned against her wall. No such scene. Just a hot and steamy kiss scene. That's all.

All emotion dropped from her face and she jumped back on her bed so that she could scream into her pillow. _Just _a hot and steamy kiss scene? What was wrong with her!

There was no way she could act that lovey dovey on stage, much less actually kiss Kurosaki Ichigo. She would die of embarrassment. What would her classmates think? What would Orihime think? Her best friend was in love with that strawberry and here she was professing her love to him and kissing him?

She bit her lip. A plethora of emotions and thoughts were running through her head. Some of which she was ignoring for good reason. Because if she were to ever acknowledge them…

No.

Tatsuki pulled herself off the bed, and walked into her bathroom, giving herself a good look in the mirror before turning on the faucet. _She was Arisawa Tatsuki. The best female in karate in the damn nation. Get a hold of yourself!_ The cold water on her face was refreshing, and with it, she was finally able to gather her thoughts. But with the good, comes the bad, and the conclusion that resulted was one she deeply wished could have been avoided.

She was in love with that bastard. And she needed a long, _cold_, shower.

* * *

"Why don't we start with one of the major scenes?" Rukia was rifling through the script.

Ichigo frowned, this was taking longer than he thought it would. He had other things to do, and if a hollow chose this time to show up…

"Why don't we do Scene 17?" He pointed to his script, where someone, presumably the teacher, had highlighted it in green and drawn red stars next to it. "It seems important enough."

Rukia glanced over at his book for the page number before flipping to it. "There are only two characters, you and this Cho person," she commented, skimming through the first part of the scene.

"Cho…was who again?" Ichigo muttered, trying to flip back to the front. Rukia leafed through the book until she came to what she was looking for.

"I found it," Rukia pointed to a character chart in her book. "Cho's the princess." Ichigo glanced over her shoulder to read the handwritten chart.

_Raiden: Son of a Merchant - Ichigo_

_Masumi: Priest- Mizuiro_

_Mana: Maid- Rukia_

_Cho: Princess- Tatsuki_

_Junko: Spoiled Princess - Orihime_

_Kai: Butler - Chad_

_Ken: King - Uryu _

"Hmmm, so that's Tatsuki then?" Ichigo mused, skipping back to the part.

Rukia stood up. "Then let's start," she said, gesturing to him to stand up.

He let out a heavy sigh. "This is a pain in the ass." Rukia raised an impatient eyebrow. "Alright, I'm coming." He looked at his script.

"Um….Princess, is that you?" He said, monotonously, staring almost viciously at the script.

Rukia gaped at him. "That was awful." Ichigo reddened.

"Well, it's kind of hard to do, when it doesn't really count," he muttered, looking away.

Rukia tapped the book furiously. "You're supposed to be in love with this woman. Right now you're sounding like she just killed your pet dog." Her eyes widened for emphasis.

Ichigo grimaced. "I was not that bad." But of course, he couldn't look her in the eye.

"Kon could have done a better job," she deadpanned. The aforementioned plushie was now doing his best to escape the clutches of Yuzu, thus the quietness. Or relative quietness.

Ichigo groaned. "Point taken," he stared up at the ceiling as if cursing the gods. "So I fix this how?"

"Well, you're in love with her, aren't you?" Rukia gave him a pointed look. "Then act like it."

"How am I supposed to do that!" He demanded, arms flung out.

"Just imagine the person you love is the princess. It's not that hard," she crossed her arms and stared him down. "Now start again, more emotion, act like you mean it. You really are this character," she turned back to the chart. "Raiden. You really are Raiden. So _act _like it!"

Ichigo stared down at the script. "This is so embarrassing," he muttered.

"_Ichigo_," she snapped, growing impatient.

"Princess, is that you?" Ichigo smiled in the direction of his bed. Rukia sighed.

"That was brilliant, but I'm over here." She held her palm to her head in annoyance. "I'm the princess, remember?"

Ichigo gawked at her. "I'm supposed to be saying this cheesy stuff to you?"

"Well, if it's that horrifying, than imagine I'm Tatsuki or something," she retorted, highly irritated for some reason. "Again!"

* * *

After two and a half hours, they had finally made some progress. Now, both lay collapsed against Ichigo's bed.

"This is almost as bad as me trying to teach you to study," he muttered, sweat dripping from his forehead.

"But at least I actually got the hang of it _and _passed you in rank I might add," she commented, smugly. Ichigo twitched and looked at her.

"I'll get the hang of it eventually, not all of us are born liars," he scowled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She turned on him, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm too tired to argue," he mumbled in response. He closed his eyes and sighed. Then, remembering a specific earlier instance, his eyes flew open in rage. "But why the heck was Renji here as a substitute teacher today!"

Caught off guard by the one hundred and eighty degree change in topic, Rukia could only gape in response. "What?"

"Renji was there. As a sub. Why?" He repeated in a tone just short of patronizing..

She turned back to face in front. "How should I know?"

"Well, they sent you here, didn't they?" He countered, raising an eyebrow.

"To be the Shinigami of this region," she quickly replied.

"When I'm here?" He looked at her incredulously.

She spun on him. "Y-You're a substitute Shinigami," she mumbled, looking immediately away form him to hide her embarrassment.

He smiled. "Yeah, so I've heard." Then he frowned. "But that bastard didn't even give me an explanation. 'No questions Kurosaki. Sit, we have class.' What the hell's with that," he fumed. "First Rangiku and Toshiro…Byakuya, and now Renji?" He threw his hands up in the air. "What the hell is going on?"

Rukia looked at the ceiling thoughtfully. The two were quiet for a while. Then she pulled herself up.

"Again."

He let out a pathetic groan. "Seriously?"

"I actually do my job properly." She stared him down.

"Fine," he muttered, standing up and grumbling all the while. "But we're just running what we've worked up until now. Then we _both _have homework. And you have to get out of my room before my dad comes up with his insane theories."

"Deal," she smiled. Then she glowered at him. "Well, hurry up."

Ichigo's face contorted for a moment and then it changed completely. His demeanor was kind, his face curious.

"Princess, is that you?" Rukia smiled, pretending to appear from backstage.

"You recognized me?" She asked, stopping in front of him.

"Of course, your dainty footsteps are one of a kind. That and your small stature of course," he added, jokingly.

The corners of her mouth stretched. "I'm glad my height amuses you so," she commented wryly.

Ichigo rose to his feet, distraught. "Ah, don't be upset Princess. You know I care for you so."

Rukia beamed at him with an aristocratic air. "Of course I know, just as I now know your own stature."

His face lit up with surprise. "You…"

"You are an exiled prince, whose father, the King, left his Kingdom in order to save it from a far more terrible fate," she finished, eyes dancing with amusement.

"How did you…" Ichigo's face genuinely shocked.

Rukia brushed her hair back. "It wasn't too hard, and I love you," she said simply, ignoring the difficulty it took for her to say those words so nonchalantly. "With this, the King will have no reason to not approve of you."

"Rukia…I…" Ichigo looked at her, face radiating happiness.

"You idiot!" She cried, whacking him with her script, hiding her red-stained face under the anger. "The Princess's name is _Cho _not _Rukia_," she corrected, furiously.

"W-What!" He clutched his head. "I got so into it I forgot," he spluttered. "It was going so well, couldn't you have overlooked it and continued anyways?"

Rukia calmed down, regaining her composure, before jerking a thumb towards the now cracked open door. "With your family watching?"

Ichigo turned with growing horror towards his door. "You guys…" He made it to the door in record time and opened it wider to yell, _out_ and_ stay outta my room_ before slamming it shut with a resounding _thud_.

"Awww, he caught us," came the delayed, muffled response.

Ichigo twitched and Rukia turned to him. "Was that Yuzu?"

"Along with that crazy, perverted old man," he kicked his bed partly out of frustration, but mostly just to hide his embarrassment.

"Ichi-nii, Rukia-chan, we just came up to say that dinner was ready," Yuzu called out from behind his door.

Karin joined in. "Yeah, and we kicked the old man down the stairs. We didn't mean to interrupt."

Rukia laughed. "Maybe we should get dinner." She looked over at Ichigo who was still looking horrified that people had actually seen him acting…like a love-sick teenager.

"You do know the entire school will be watching you, right?" Rukia was highly amused. He rose from his seat of horror and walked passed her.

"Let's just get dinner," he mumbled, all emotions shot for the day.

"Bya-nii, is here again as well."

Both Ichigo and Rukia froze. _Bya-nii? _

They turned on each other.

"Byakuya/Nii-sama!"

* * *

Inoue Orihime was sitting on the floor, eating a plate of butter sushi and reading her script. The more she read of it, the more she seemed to grow a tad bit suspicious of it. And the more she read of it, the more her heart seemed to grow heavy with dark feelings she would have rather repressed. The script itself seemed to resemble their own daily lives. Raiden seemed to fall in love with a person out of his class, and then, eventually, revealed to actually have once belonged to that class.

Cho seemed to be the princess that came down to him and brought on the realization. The one who changed his whole world.

And Junko seemed to be the girl so in love with Raiden but forever doomed to be unrequited. Not unlike her own love.

Her suspicions couldn't be confirmed, because Rukia was not Cho, Tatsuki was. And thus everything was thrown into chaos.

She bit her lip, refusing to let any tears leak out of her eyes. She loved Ichigo more than anything and more than anyone. She wanted him to be happy…but she was quite sure, that no matter how many life times she lived, no matter where she ended up in death or in life…

She would always be in love with the, Kurosaki Ichigo.

Both Rukia and Tatsuki were her close friends, and she loved them dearly. The possibility that they may also love Ichigo and that he might be in love with one of them…made her heart ache beyond all realms of possibility. And she was sick of it - the burning jealousy, the distraught feelings, the twisted feelings of betraying and being betrayed. But she didn't know what to do.

Orihime stood up and made for her brother's alter and prayed for a while. The praying cleared her thoughts, and eventually the answer came to her, as if it was a gift wrapped present from her brother.

She would actively pursue him. She would have to make her feelings known to him…a tear leaked out of her eye.

But somehow…remembering Tatsuki and Rukia…

Orihime couldn't do it.

* * *

Kenpachi stopped outside a small shack-ish building.

Yachiru popped up over his head. "We there yet, Ken-chan?" She rubbed her eyes, sleepily.

"Looks like this is Urahara's shop," he muttered in reply. "Where the hell is Kurosaki Ichigo?"

The Captain's attention was caught by a movement, and he turned his face back to the shop as the front door seemed to slowly open.

"Captain Zaraki, I presume," Urahara mumbled, obviously groggy. "Do you have any idea what time it is?" Then he jerked his fingers toward the shop. "That sign says closed. You can come back in the morning like normal people." He turned around, a tad irritated from lack of sleep, to re-enter his shop.

"Hmm?" Kenpachi turned to look at him.

"Ken-chan, I thought we were looking for Ichigo," Yachiru chimed in. "Not Funny Hat."

Urahara stopped in his tracks. _Funny Hat?_

Kenpachi looked thoughtful. "Yeah…but…" He turned back towards Urahara. "You seem to have a lot of power, what do you say to a match?"

Urahara turned around slowly. "Eh?" Then he immediately straightened up and starting fluttering his fan like wildfire. "I have no idea what you're talking about, I'm just a poor shop keeper with absolutely no spiritual powers," he chortled nervously.

Kenpachi started to laugh. "I'm sick of just running around, I need to vent some energy." He started to emit heavy spiritual pressure. "Let's fight, man to man, to the death," he laughed dangerously.

"Err…" Just as it seemed that Urahara was about to disappear into his shop, Yoruichi appeared beside him.

"What are you up to at this hour," she asked, also semi-irritated from the early hour. She yawned. "Do you have any idea what time it…" Yoruichi trailed off when the shop owner seemed to be desperately pointing outside. "What…?"

Kenpachi's grin widened. "The Goddess of Flash, herself, huh?" It kept getting better and better.

Unlike the shop keeper, Yoruichi didn't find the situation nearly as dire.

"Well if it isn't Captain Zaraki Kenpachi," Yoruichi mused, smiling playfully.

"Ano…" Urahara looked at her rather wildly. "This isn't really the time…"Yoruichi turned on him. "You do know I still haven't forgiven you for messing that last bit up, right?"

Urahara winced. "Point taken." He hoped to whatever was holy that Soi Fon had not just heard that.

"Forgiven you for what, exactly," came a dangerous voice behind him.

Yoruichi's widening smile seemed to say, _Karma's a bitch._

Urahara heaved a dramatic sighand prepared to guard one of his more sensitive items. _Well it wasn't like he hadn't expected it. _

_

* * *

_**This ended up being a little more angst than I would have liked from Orihime's perspective, but hopefully that will change next chapter. For now anyways, I plan to make the next chapter a little more Orihime and Tatsuki-centric with the acting and Ichigo interactions anyways. **

**And now it seems the only one who hasn't realized her feelings for Ichigo is Rukia…who might actually fall behind enough that she loses all hope with pursuing a relationship with Ichigo…? Tatsuki has at least realized, however, so that means that she must be getting there. Orihime has a resolve to do her best when Ichigo is concerned but doesn't want to betray her friends…**

**How will these three girls resolve their issues?**

**And on a side note, this is becoming more and more romantic. O.O" I've never actually written a fic categorized as romance, thus the slowness of it all. I hope to pick up more pace as the story goes along though…and to fiddle better with the other character interactions…of which, in this chapter, were almost all left out. This time, not much on other character interactions, mostly just the main characters…of course that'll be different next time. Once again, I apologize for any/all discrepancies, grammatical or otherwise. And I sincerely ask you - the reader - for a review. :] Wonderful reviews/reviewers always make my day and will definitely bring a faster *and hopefully better* chapter. **


	7. What She Saw

**Hey guys! Sorry for the late release, college and all. Ergh. I'm taking a break from that nightmare for a bit, so enjoy the new release. :] AND MANY THANKS TO MY LOVELY REVIEWERS. You're the only reason I update…though, I do wonder how many people are still keeping with this story.**

**On a side note, I'm totally torn about the new chapter. Those of you who read it know what I mean…maybe? Anyways, I was totally wrong on a prediction for one of my characters…the only one who died…bah.**

**ANYWAYS: **

**Last Time:**

**Orihime discovered that her love with Ichigo seems to conflict with her friends' interests...meanwhile, Tatsuki actually discovers that she is, in fact, in love with her childhood friend. And Rukia's mind is thrown into chaos after a little…misnomer…during her acting lessons with the strawberry. Where will the story take our three heroines and our hero now?**

**

* * *

**

"Go KENNY!" A pink haired girl sat on the sidelines, cheering for the larger of two men. The air was tense…spiritual particles radiating in abundance from the two. One…seemingly rising in retaliation from the other.

"Well, I was supposed to be fighting Ichigo…"

The man swung his sword and brought it down with terrorizing speed against the shop owner.

"But you'll do as a warm-up!"

A second later, Kenpachi's sword moved from deathblow to a standstill… stopped by another glowing sword. Urahara was chuckling maddeningly. The stress of two crazed captains and one pissed-off cat had caused 'Funny Hat' to crack.

"Don't blame me if you die!" He screeched, hat fluttering in the wind as he dashed towards the captain.

Kenpachi laughed in delight. "Well, that's more like it!" The two swords clashed and a massive whirl-wind took over the atmosphere.

Yoruichi smiled coyly, unfazed by the massive battle taking place. Swords clashed in the background. The shop was starting to take damage. "Can't say he's not going to regret that," she said, referring to Urahara. Then, noticing the trembling wreck next to her, she continued, "Though, that's probably better than him still being here."

"That bastard," Soifon hissed. "If there's anything left after Kenpachi's through with him…" She clenched her teeth and slammed her fist into the neighboring wall. Yoruichi watched in mild amusement as a crack snaked its way across doorway. Just one of many things the stupid shop owner would have to fix.

"Well there goes my nap," Gin muttered, eyeing the doorway with distrust as he walked through it.

"But," he realized, instantly cheering up. "I guess I can always continue in…eh?" He stopped in confusion as his feet seemed to be momentarily detached from the ground. He craned his neck upwards only to be greeted by the face of a giant.

"Tessai!" Gin looked up in disbelief as Yoruichi cracked up next to him. "…san," he added as an afterthought.

"Work to do," the tall-man mumbled, dragging the distraught ex-captain with him. In the background, Gin could still hear sword clashes. He sighed. So much for a peaceful life.

* * *

Renji walked through the classroom doors.

"Alright, alright!" He called, clapping his hands. "Take your seats." _Oh look, it's Renji. _Without missing a step, he chucked an eraser at the irritating carrot-top. _Thud. _He watched with pleasure as Ichigo tried and failed to launch himself at…well…him.

"Because Tsukasa-sensei fell ill, I will once again by playing substitute for your class," Renji dropped a couple of books onto the desk in front of him. Then he looked across the class, adding, "You guys can refer to me as Abarai-sensei."

_Pfft. _Renji clenched his fist, as multiple classmates began to snicker. Namely the ones he knew. He slammed the chalkboard.

He gave Strawberry's group a pointed look. Then turned towards his fellow vice captain.

"Anyone have a problem with that?"

A certain midget chuckled across the room. Renji could feel his face start to heat up. "Not at all, _Abarai-sensei." _He looked down hastily and opened one of the books he brought.

"Well," He cleared his throat and regained composure. "We'll continue rehearsing for the play." Renji smirked at Ichigo who had '_No freakin' way in hell' _etched deep into his face. "Why don't we start with scene," he flipped through the pages in mock search. "Oh I don't know…how about _scene 17?" _Oh how he felt evil. So evil. Renji couldn't help feeling just the slightest bit proud of his sheer dastardliness.

Ichigo slammed his fist down on his desk. "Why the hell are we starting there," he demanded, twitching angrily.

"Hrmm…what's this Kurosaki?" Renji smiled, giving Ichigo a look. "You couldn't possibly be…arguing with a teacher, could you?"

"Like hell I would, Re—," Ichigo was rudely interrupted as Rukia clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Not at all, _Abarai-sensei._" Renji's smile immediately dropped from his face. Rukia was never going to let this drop after all this was over. He inwardly groaned, watching as Ichigo turned in frustration on Rukia. Unable to watch their mock-banter anymore, he clapped his hands loudly once more.

"All-right, all-right, Kurosaki. Arisawa. Up front!"

Ichigo stood up, momentarily defeated, and walked towards the front of the room. His only consolation was that Tatsuki looked just as upset about this whole mess as he was. The two 'stars' stared at each other.

"Well, what are you standing there for," Renji snapped. "Go!"

Ichigo clenched his teeth and started...watching his reputation start to swirl down the drain.

"P-Princess…" He coughed a couple of times, trying to get into the part and failing. "Is…that you?" God forbid it. Kurosaki Ichigo was a hairs breadth away from blushing. From embarrassment, but nonetheless, blushing. His poor reputation.

Renji threw his copy of the play on the ground and was about to yell at the Strawberry about how god-forsaken _awful _that just was, when a certain raven-haired childhood friend of his, appeared in the front of the room.

Rukia spoke up in an eerily unfamiliar voice. "Sorry Sensei, Kurosaki-kun will be right back." Then she turned on a frowning Ichigo and dragged him out of the classroom.

"You _idiot!" _Renji, along with the rest of the class, gawped at the door. Apparently Rukia didn't realize that the entire class could hear what she was saying.

"Is…that Kuchiki-san?" A poor soul wondered out loud.

"We did _not _practice for three hours in your room just so you could act like some _third-rate _actor." Renji could feel all life drain from his face. _Rukia…alone with Ichigo…practicing THIS scene! Oh mother of all things holy…_

A sickeningly resounding crash was heard. A couple of seconds later, Rukia appeared through the doorway toting a lifeless Ichigo.

"He's ready to try again," she chirped sweetly. Little did she know that the murmurs that were circulating throughout the room pertained to her…

_Never get on Kuchiki Rukia's bad side._

Back at her desk, Rukia smiled cheerily up at Renji who quickly cleared his throat and muttered a _go _before resuming his seat.

"Pr—…" Ichigo stopped and seemed to contemplate something. Seconds later, he resumed with copious more amounts of life and energy.

"Princess, is that you?" Renji knew that Ichigo had kissed his reputation away the moment he donned that ridiculous kneeling pose and sickeningly sweet voice. He silently applauded Ichigo's confidence in his masculinity.

"You recognized me?" Tatsuki was uncertain at first, but after seeing the lengths that Ichigo was obviously going through to make this believable, she gained confidence and chanced a smile. He responded.

"Of course, your dainty footsteps are one of a kind. That and your small stature of course," he added, humorously. Despite his outward demeanor, Ichigo was inwardly frowning…this entire process seemed a little weird when he wasn't doing it with Rukia. But he didn't want to deal with the midget's wrath so he immersed himself into his part, decidedly ignoring whatever uncertainty he was feeling. It was probably because he'd rehearsed so damn long with her.

"I'm glad my height amuses you so," she commented, daring another smile. Perhaps, this wasn't so bad.

Ichigo rose to his feet, distraught. "Ah, don't be upset Princess. You know I care for you so."

Crap. Tatsuki reddened but resisted characteristically assaulting the glimmering carrot-top. She turned away, pretending that this was all according to script. "Of course I know." Her eyes widened a little as she finished, realizing that this was not what the line should sound like. Ignoring the fact that it wasn't even complete, she should have been behaving with a teasing aristocratic air. Instead she sounded huffy…like a distraught child.

It was her acting partner who, surprisingly, saved her by taking her into his arms. She was not the only one shocked by the gesture. Rukia was floored, her mouth literally falling open…ultimately revealing that she had obviously _not _practiced doing such an act with Ichigo.

Ichigo, in his defense, was doing whatever he could so that he could end this as fast as possible. And if that damned tattooed idiot ended it because of one line…he didn't know if he could survive going through it again. And again. So it was time for a little impromptu.

"You…know, don't you?" He murmured sweetly. After this was all over, he needed a long cold shower.

Tatsuki was finding this situation extremely difficult to take in without completely losing herself. But she took his cue and found her place again. "You are an exiled prince, whose father, the King, left his Kingdom in order to save it from a far more terrible fate," she finished, fighting down a blush. At least she was back on track.

_Crap. _Ichigo had to do a little more impromptu…his action prior had put him in a bad spot…to completely skip his line or to make up some crap and hope Tatsuki would catch on…

Ichigo smiled gently down at the girl in his arms. "I'm still not completely sure how you figured that out."

"It wasn't too hard, and I love you." Those last three words resounded with truth. She sincerely hoped Ichigo was as dense as she liked to believe. Remembering that she was acting a part of a love-struck aristocrat, she turned towards his face…but almost completely lost all ability to function when she realized how unbelievably close they were.

"Cho…I…"

"Raiden…"

The two froze, inches away from each other. There was absolutely no _way _that Renji was going to make the two of them…

They looked at their 'teacher' simultaneously. He beckoned to them to continue and mouthed, _unless you want to redo the scene._

_Oh good god. He can't be serious._

Ichigo silently swore that he would hunt Renji down to the ends of the earth and destroy that bastard.

Back in the realm of their classmates, Orihime was watching this scene…both transfixed and horrified. She knew that it was the script and all, but watching those two getting closer together...so close to…

Her books slipped from her desk and slammed to the ground. The spell that seemed to encompass the class was immediately severed and the faces of all of her classmates minus two (one being Hitsugaya, who was still asleep) turned on her. Rukia was still staring at the two in the front, who at first chance, had leapt away from each other.

Orihime looked at the class, feeling incredibly small. "I'm such a clutz," she mumbled with an apologetic smile.

Renji turned from Orihime back to the pair up at front.

"There's no way in _hell_ we're doing that again," Ichigo deadpanned. His cheeks were tinted red.

The substitute teacher smiled wickedly. "You wouldn't be telling me what to do, now would you Kurosaki?"

Before Ichigo could retaliate, Tatsuki spoke up. "I refuse as well." The karate-genius was looking away from Ichigo, staring determinedly at the chalkboard.

It seemed as if this development was not one foreseen by the great 'Abarai-sensei'.

"Eh?" He looked at her in confusion.

"I. Will. Not. Do. That. Scene. Again. Today." She repeated, glaring at him. Her cheeks seemed to be regaining their original color with each word.

And before Renji could get in a word edgewise, the bell rang.

* * *

Byakuya was finding this entire scene rather distasteful. He would have liked to walk into that classroom (ignoring the fact that it was rather small and dingy) and demand why exactly his vice captain was forcing his sister's rival in love…to, of all things, kiss Kurosaki Ichigo…but that would involve being seen by his own competition.

He couldn't afford to have Matsumoto knowing his location…and he couldn't bear her knowing that she was beating him, albeit temporarily, but beating him nonetheless.

He remained perched on the tree and took great pleasure in watching his soon-to-be son-in-law suffer…since it couldn't be by his hands yet, this would have to suffice.

Then he chanced a look at Rukia…and had to fight himself to maintain his cool, uncaring demeanor. His sister was simply looking at the two in the front of the room. Expressionless. The last time he'd seen such a lack of emotion…was when she was about to be executed. And since, he had sworn to himself to protect her…to make sure nothing like that ever happened again...

His vice captain had better have a good reason for all of this. Or Renji would have to answer to his commanding officer very, very painfully.

* * *

The sun was setting.

Rukia started packing her bag, her mind wandering back to that scene of Ichigo and Tatsuki…

"Yo, midget!"

She whirled around annoyed. "I'm not a midget, Ichigo!"

Ichigo frowned. "You'd think this argument would get old."

"And you'd think you'd die your hair, with all those rumors you're so tired about circulating." She glared at him.

"That doesn't change the fact that you're mini." He quirked an eyebrow, smirking. She deftly kicked him.

"I'm heading home, you oaf," she laughed feeling immensely better. She grabbed her bag and headed towards the door.

Ichigo looked at her diminishing back. "Well, wait for me, you idiot."

"Eh?" Rukia looked at him, irritated. "What about those stupid rumors?"

The corners of his mouth stretched downwards. "Who cares now? My reputations down the toilet," he muttered, glaring off to the side.

"Pfft," Rukia held a hand to her mouth, to keep herself from laughing too loudly. She took a knee, mocking Ichigo's earlier pose.

"_Princess, is that you?"_

Ichigo's mouth dropped open and his cheeks flared. "That was your freaking idea, you stupid little…"

Rukia darted off towards the door and stuck her tongue out at him.

"I would never tell you to do anything that demeaning, _Kurosaki-kun_," she called out as she left through the class room door.

Ichigo stared at her, flabbergasted. When he didn't follow her, her head popped in through the doorway.

"Well, aren't you coming?"

He frowned, trying not to laugh at the ridiculous image of her peeking through the door. "Yeah, yeah. Hold your horses."

* * *

"Isn't it nice, with no hollows around?" Ichigo asked, out of the blue. The two were standing out in the courtyard, facing the gates.

"Wha…" Rukia looked at him and then turned back towards the sun. "It's…peaceful," she smiled.

Ichigo looked at her and was about to respond when a familiar yell cut him short.

"Kurosaki-kun!"

The pair turned around to see the red-haired girl come running out of the building.

"Inoue!" Ichigo looked at her slightly shocked. "You ok?"

Orihime tried to regain her breath.

"Y-yeah." She straightened up. "Um…I was wondering if I could talk to you." She looked over at Rukia who instantly got the message.

"I'll see you later, Ichigo," she waved back to him, darting across the courtyard. "Don't be late!"

"Ah…yeah," he mumbled, surprised, at her retreating form.

"Ano…Kurosaki-kun…" Ichigo's attention reverted back to Orihime.

"Yeah?" Noticing her face was tinted red, he continued, "You sure you ok?"

"Ha ha," She laughed. "Peachy! I'm perfectly ok…only…" The bubbly-girl looked unsure of how to continue.

"Only…" Ichigo prompted. "Ah, sorry Inoue. But I'm in a hurry. My family's probably waiting on me for dinner so…" He turned to leave, but she caught the hem of his shirt.

"Kurosaki-kun…wait."

Ichigo stopped walking, his back still to her. All of a sudden, he realized that she had something serious to talk about. As he was just about to turn around and apologize, she spoke up, and he froze again.

"Kurosaki-kun…I," Orihime closed her eyes so that she couldn't see the diminishing sun and took a deep breath.

She opened her eyes and blurted out the three words she'd been wanting to say for the longest time.

"I-I…love you!"

* * *

**Dun, dun dun! Without any help from Matsumoto or Hitsugaya? Or…**

**Well, how shall this development play out? Rukia is falling in love with Ichigo, Tatsuki is already head over heels, and…Orihime actually confesses? Ichigo sure is a popular man. How will Ichigo respond to the confession…what actually happened in the moment Orihime's booked slammed to the floor…and how will Rukia deal with what she saw?**

**Once again, I apologize for all discrepancies (and the shortness) and grammatical errors that I didn't manage to catch!**

**Please take a minute out of your day and leave a little review. It totally keeps this fic alive and makes my day just that much brighter. I always appreciate my reviewers. **

**Until next time~!**


	8. Drasted Juice

**Ahhh, I totally shouldn't be writing right now…I should be cramming for a history and psych midterm. Which are extremely vicious…75+ terms to define: who, what, where, why significant and memorize…and 5 essays to plan out…just for history. But I need a break. XD So here's your update~!**

**Once again, a hearty big THANK YOU to my lovely and quite amazing reviewers…it's YOU guys are the ones that make this story worth writing. So thank you~! And this chapter is rather longer than the last one, so enjoy! ^_^**

**On a side note, this chapter starts off a little…angsty…honestly. It's hard to balance humor with three-girls-vying-for-one-guy romance…because sooner or later, things are going to happen to make one girl happy and others sad. Get my drift? Anyways… XDD Here's to better times! **

**Recap: **_**Urahara has a showdown with Kenpachi while Gin gets carted off with Tessa. Tatsuki and Ichigo perform the play but are interrupted as Orihime's books accidently slam to the ground. And just as Ichigo is **_**finally **_**walking home with Rukia, Orihime secures Ichigo alone and Rukia is once again returning alone…just as Ichigo is about to go catch up to her, Orihime says three magical words.**_

* * *

Tatsuki fingered her lips with mild trepidation, trying to will away the scene that kept replaying in her mind.

_There's no way this stupid substitute teacher is going to make us continue, is there? Tatsuki was beside herself with fear…if they ended up…well, if _that_ happened, she was sure she was _not _going to handle it well. _

_Ichigo turned towards her and mouthed a silent apology_. _Tatsuki blanched. No way. He's going through with it?_

_They were less than a couple of inches away now. No turning back. She shut her eyes and pushed away the images of her classmates…her friends..watching her. _

_The two had leapt apart immediately. As far as they were concerned, nothing had happened in the moment that the crash occurred. And no one had noticed. The class's attention was focused on a mortified Orihime. No one had caught them in the act…the part where his lips had brushed hers._

"Umm…Tatsuki-chan?"

Tatsuki's fingers immediately snapped away, and she jumped.

"O-Orihime!" Her best friend was looking at her strangely. Tatsuki laughed it off, running a hand through her hair. "You startled me."

"Ah…sorry!" Orihime smiled cheerfully before it seemed to fade.

Tatuski looked at her curiously. "Is there something wrong?" Orihime fumbled with her bag.

"There's something…I want to take care of." Tatsuki quirked an eyebrow. "So I was wondering if I could go ahead." Orihime was staring at the ground.

"Something important, huh?" Looking at the apologetic girl, Tatsuki smiled. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go!"

Orihime was startled. "Now?"

"Yes, now!" Tatsuki shoved her out the door. "See you tomorrow!"

"Bye, Tatsuki-chan!" The bubbly-girl called from across the hallway. The sight of the fumbling girl caused her to laugh out loud, but soon after _that_ scene came flashing back, and her mood immediately soured.

The sun was setting. The two terrors, the annoying Keigo and the predatory Chizaru, were not around. No one was around. The classroom was empty.

She should probably go home. Her bag was on her desk. She grabbed it and shook herself roughly.

"Plenty of time to worry about stuff later," she told herself out loud, rather aggressively. "Get yourself together."

With that said, and feeling immensely better, she made her way out of the classroom and down the stairs. At the entrance, she slipped on her shoes.

"Don't be late!"

Tatsuki looked up. Ichigo was ditching Rukia again? And to think that once upon a time he didn't care about rumors. Well, to be fair, once upon a time, he actually smiled.

She straightened up and pushed open the doors. The setting sun greeted her and she shielded her eyes instinctively.

"This late alrea…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes adjusted to the light. She was looking at Orihime and Ichigo who were standing a few feet apart. Orihime was holding onto him by the hem of his shirt…his back to her. At first Tatsuki was confused, wondering what could possibly be happening and then…

"I-I love you!"

"Wha –"

When Orihime uttered those words, Ichigo whirled around. But the rest of whatever was about to come out of his mouth was staunched by the sight of his childhood friend.

"Tatsuki?" His mouth fell open.

At the moment, Tatsuki's mind was blank. She had no idea how to handle the situation. What to do, what to say, a hundred million thoughts were racing through her head. But when it came down to it, Arisawa Tatsuki was a girl who operated on instinct. Might as well let those same instincts take control here.

She plastered a huge grin on her face and made her way towards them.

"Well, who would have thought!" Tatsuki slapped Ichigo on the back, rather painfully. "You guys are a perfect couple!"

Ichigo looked startled for a moment. "We're not a…"

Tatsuki interrupted him before he could continue. It was for the best. "Well, if you make her cry, I'll never forgive you," she said, getting him in a headlock.

"Oi! Tatsuki," Caught by surprise, he fumbled. "Let go, I give!" They both knew that was a lie. But he continued to play the part of the weakling, and she continued to play the part of his aggressor.

"You hear me?" Ichigo floundered for a while.

"Yeah, yeah, let go of my neck, you karate-freak." Ichigo was on the ground in a matter of moments. She was operating on instinct. She couldn't help it. It was instinct to assault him after an insult.

He groaned. "You act as if that's a bad thing," she gritted out. Then, remembering the situation, she quickly corrected herself.

"Well, I won't interrupt on you two lovebirds any longer." She turned towards the school gates and started walking.

Raising a hand in farewell, she called out behind her, "I'll see you guys tomorrow!"

Orihime was watching the scene, dumbfounded.

"Tatsuki…chan?"

Tatsuki, for her part, was cursing Ichigo to high heavens, only when she was out of earshot of course.

"Damn, stupid, weak idiot!" She kicked a rock. Street lights were starting to flicker on.

"Why'd…" her hands clenched, and she was determinedly staring at the ground. "Why'd you make me fall in love with you," she finished softly.

Shutting her eyes didn't make the situation any better. "Why." But it was useless. The rock wasn't going to give her any answer. It was probably a couple of miles away from here anyways. She chuckled dryly.

Then her frustration seeped away and she crouched on the ground, covering her face.

* * *

Hinamori probably wasn't meddling as much as she should be. Through most of this set-up, she had watched both competitors and meddlers interfere with Kurosaki Ichigo's life.

The three candidates were Kuchiki Rukia, Arisawa Tatsuki, and Inoue Orihime. She doubted that anyone was surprised by who she had chosen to support.

Years ago, Hinamori had been in love with her superior, her captain. She would have followed him to the ends of Soul Society…to the very threshold of death. Which she did copious amounts of times. Love is a fickle thing. When her captain was brutally 'murdered', she had practically attacked her long time childhood friend…she had lifted her sword against Shiro-chan.

She had done whatever was necessary; whatever could bring her even the slightest bit closer to him. And even when he had run her sword through her, and warm blood gushed out of her with intensity…_she had still loved him. _

Even after he was branded a traitor…even after he had done so much evil…and maybe even now; she still loved him.

But it could never be. It was hard, to love someone so much and know that it would never come to fruit. So that was why she knew exactly who she would be supporting. She would help this girl fulfill a love that she herself could never bring to pass.

She would help Inoue Orihime.

* * *

"Nii-san sure is late…" Yuzu looked with apprehension towards the door. The Kurosaki family and the two Kuchiki's were sitting at the dinner table. After Ichigo hadn't shown up for 30 minutes, Isshin had decided that a son that was late was a son that didn't deserve food. So they had started eating without the carrot top.

Rukia was highly irritated, yet she wasn't sure why. "He's probably walking his girlfriend home," she muttered.

"Girlfriend?" Rukia's eyes snapped open.

"Eh?" Her chopsticks almost fell out of her hands. She hadn't meant to be overheard.

Isshin started wailing on his beloved poster of his wife. "Oh Massaki! Our son is cheating on our precious third daughter!"

Yuzu was staring at her with wide eyes. "You mean, you're not his girlfriend?"

Rukia almost started choking. "O-Of course not!" She was horrified…her brother was here. What would he say! He might end up dragging her home or worse…

She chanced a look at the captain. He was sitting stoically, but he had stopped eating, a single grain of rice stuck on his face.

"You're not dating…Kurosaki?" Rukia was trying to smile, but it was failing miserably.

"Of course not, Nii-sama!" She was desperately trying to remedy the situation. Rather than fear for herself, she was worried what her brother might do to Yuzu for even suggesting such a thing. "I would never do anything that might disgrace the family name."

"Disgrace…" All semblance of a smile dropped from Rukia's face. She had forgotten that she was in the presence of Ichigo's sisters.

"Ah…" She turned towards them hastily. "That's not really what I meant."

"No, you're right," Yuzu said in a huff. "Nii-san is a jerk if he's cheating on you."

Rukia's mouth fell open a little. The situation was getting worse and worse.

"Kurosaki has a girlfriend that isn't you…?" Rukia whipped around to look at her brother. Seizing the chance she nodded furiously, only to freeze as he got up.

"Thank you for the meal." And then he left, as silently as he came. Rukia was wondering if she had somehow said the wrong thing.

"Ichi-nii sure has turned into quite the ass," Karin said, helping herself to a second serving.

Yuzu turned towards Karin with her cheeks puffed out. "Even if it's true, you shouldn't swear!"

"I'll say what I want," she responded flatly.

"Meanine," Yuzu pouted.

Rukia held up her hands, trying to salvage the situation. "Like I said, we're not like that…"

"Like what?" The door slammed shut. "Damn, I'm tired."

"Ichigo!" Rukia stood up. "Where have you been?" Ichigo looked up from the doorway, frowning. "Your sisters were worried about you!"

"We weren't worried about our cheating brother at all," Yuzu huffed. "Your dinner is on the table, the rest of us ate _on time." _She picked up the empty dishes lying on the table and made her way to the kitchen.

Ichigo was watching this all in confusion. Had he done something simply by walking in the room? He turned towards Rukia who was now determined not to look him in the eye. Wait a minute…_cheating?_

_Of course it'd be the midget's fault._

"Rukia," he muttered. "What did you do?"

"Don't blame Rukia-chan, Nii-san." Yuzu stuck her tongue out at him. "_You _were the one walking your girlfriend home."

Ichigo's jaw dropped open. "You knew about me and Inoue?" He was staring at Rukia looking flabbergasted.

All blood drained from Rukia's face. _So that's what it was all about._

"Thanks for the food," Rukia said, decidedly ignoring Ichigo. "I think I'll head to bed early."

"Brother's a jerk!" Yuzu grumbled, scrubbing some dishes in the kitchen.

"I'm heading off to bed early too, Yuzu," Karin called out over her shoulder, as she made her way upstairs. "Sweet dreams, Ichi-nii."

Well, at least one person wasn't mad with hi…_thwack._ Ichigo's head fell forward as Isshin struck him across the head.

He clutched his head in pain. "Wha…you stupid old man!"

Isshin ignored Ichigo and although he was pretending to be upset, he was rather pleased with the situation. Everything was going wonderfully well. Wonderfully according to plan. And all he had to do was watch it go down…as the overseer of events. But still, Ichigo could stand to be far more sensitive. Which was the reason he had clouted him. That and the fact that he just liked the father-son bonding.

Ichigo, for his part, did not understand all the hostility. But then there were a lot of things he didn't understand.

Like the stupid actions of Renji. The way Rukia was acting. The stupid play. Inoue's confession. The appearance of a multiple Captain-class officers. Why the play felt so strange when he wasn't doing it with Rukia. Why he had kissed Tatsuki even as he saw the books falling off of Orihime's desk.

So, smothering his confusion, he sat down at his place at the table and prepared to eat his now cold dinner.

"Itadakimasu."

* * *

Yoruichi had managed to lose most of the excess baggage, not that it was any trouble at all for a flash-step master. Kenpachi and Urahara were still fighting it off at the shop and Gin had been carted off somewhere with Tessa. After a couple of hours of watching the fight, Soi Fon had disappeared off to somewhere muttering something about helping someone or the other.

"I-I love you!"

Well, that was probably the first thing that had caught Yoruichi off guard in who knows how many years. She hadn't thought the bubbly red head had it in her.

The second thing that had taken the shunpo-genius by surprise was the appearance of Arisawa Tatsuki. All in all, this situation wasn't looking very good for Rukia. Something must be done.

So she had left, just as silent and unnoticed as she had come. And that was how she found herself outside of the Kurosaki household.

A small tidbit of information that had come to pass her ears, that Kuchiki Byakuya of all people was eating dinner with the Kurosaki family daily. She had found this extremely amusing. And now she had decided to play on that information simply because she had a couple of important things to collude with Byakuya on…the main one being his sister.

Her ears perked up at the sound of the door closing. She saw a familiar all-to-emotionless man exiting the house.

She hadn't eaten dinner with the Kurosaki family before, but wasn't this a bit too early to be leaving?

Looking at him a little harder revealed that the forever-always emotionless man was actually…god forbid…_angry. _How could she tell? Well, she _was _the one that had played tag with him all those years ago. She liked to think that she knew him, just a little. And besides, his hand seemed to be trembling.

"Yoruichi." Byakuya had stopped, waiting stoically under the tree. She smiled playfully and skillfully jumped off the branch.

"Yo," she grinned at him before commenting slyly, "Did something happen in there?"

The corners of his lips turned downwards, but he maintained his overall cold demeanor. "Not at all, why do you ask?"

Yoruichi laughed at hit him, slapping him on the back. Byakuya looked disgruntled for a moment before cleverly masking it.

"If you'll excuse me, there's something I have to take care of." He made his way past her.

Without turning around, Yoruichi commented, "Does it have anything to do with Inoue Orihime?"

Byakuya froze. "What?" He turned around, calmly, but failed to completely mask the curiosity in his voice.

"So that is Kurosaki Ichigo's girlfriend?"

Yoruichi turned around to meet Byakuya's gaze.

"Well, I wouldn't say it like that."

* * *

Rukia was sitting on Ichigo's bed. The lights were off, but she was just sitting there. Juice box in hand. Musing. Remembering.

_They were so close. _

_It was just a play. And they were acting the part of lovers. Of course there would be some intimate scenes. That wasn't why she was confused. _

_She was confused as to why Ichigo hugged her. They hadn't rehearsed that._

_She was confused as to why, despite the books falling off the table, Ichigo had kissed Tatsuki. He didn't have to._

_But most of all, she was confused as to why this entire situation was bothering her._

"NEEEEEEEE-SAAAAAAN!"

Rukia's reverie was broken as a familiar plushie came screeching through the air. The flying mass of orange was making its way towards her rapidly, with outstretched claws. She caught him in the face with ease. After all, she'd had years of practice.

"Kon, I'm trying to think," she mumbled, brushing a strand of hair from her eyes. She resumed nursing her juice box.

The toy wiggled his way out of her grasp. "Well then you can think while I…" Kon moved his stuffed, grubby paws over towards Rukia like a deprived old man.

"Yo." Kon froze and fell where he was, playing dead for Ichigo's sister. This was partly for the sake that he didn't want to be treated like some sort of horrible experiment…where he was forced into little girly-doll atrocities. "I figured this was where you were."

Rukia looked up from the bed. "Karin-chan."

Kon could feel danger approaching. He could feel it all the way down to his plushy, cotton, non-organic claws. As danger loomed closer, he realized with a horrible sinking feeling that Ichigo's sister was coming to sit next to his nee-san…which would be _on top of _him. Karin took a seat. Kon resisted the urge to scream for all things holy and bolt. What he put up with, for fear of being given to Yuzu.

"What are you doing here?" Rukia looked at Karin.

"Weird question," Karin gave Rukia a sideways glance. But she dropped it, continuing, "I went to bed early."

Rukia stared at her for a moment before smiling. "Really? Me too."

"You know, Ichi-nii is pretty dense," Karin mouthed off, suddenly. The raven-haired shinigami was startled.

"Eh?"

Karin sighed loudly. Rukia went back to her juice box, waiting for Ichigo's sister to continue.

"You're in love with Ichi-nii, aren't you?"

Rukia's reaction was extreme…a mixture between spitting out her juice and choking on it. When she was finally able to regain control of herself, she was able to croak out only one word.

"What?"

Karin was looking at her as if she'd grown an extra head. "You can't be serious."

Rukia procured a hanky and was now proceeding to quickly wipe up the mess as quickly as possible. "He's just a friend."

"Maybe you're a bit dense too," Karin mused, staring at the ceiling. Rukia looked up with a weak smile.

"Me?" Regaining her composure after cleaning up the situation, Rukia resumed her spot on the bed.

Karin spared her another sidelong glance, a smile playing on her lips. "So you're telling me you weren't the least bit jealous to hear him say he was walking home with Inoue-san?" At the sight of Rukia's mouth agape, Karin shook her head in disbelief.

"Well, whatever. It's not my place to meddle." She got up off her brother's bed and made her way to the door, leaving a flabbergasted Rukia in her wake.

The moment Karin was out the door, Kon burst up screaming.

"I thought I was going to die!"

Lost in thought, Rukia ignored the hyperventilating toy who was now depicting the story of his miraculous survival. Then the door slammed open, interrupting Kon who, as if on cue, immediately played dead. Or rather, never alive.

"Midget, off my bed." The lights started to flicker on.

Rukia chucked Kon at Ichigo's head. "Stop being such a jerk, Ichigo!"

After a muted reply and a lot of struggling, Ichigo managed to pluck a screaming Kon off his face. "You're the one that just threw this stupid doll at my face!" he retaliated, pointing viciously at the aforementioned plushie.

Well Kon wasn't going to stand be treated with such a lack of respect. "I'll have you know that I'm more than a _stupid doll _you horrible brute!" he yelled, jumping out of his owner's clutches for a flying kick to Ichigo's face. The cotton harmlessly bounced off the Strawberry's face. The lion lay humiliated on the floor.

A knock was heard on the door. "Nii-san, Karin said that my plushie was here!"

Ichigo opened the door a little and starred at Yuzu, mouth ajar. "Plushie…?" He spared a pitiful look behind him at Kon, who was making frantic _don't you dare_ motions, before relinquishing him into his sister's arms. "Here ya go."

Yuzu puffed out her cheeks. "Nii-san is still a baka!" She yelled, grabbing the doll and leaving. Ichigo could have sworn he heard Kon swearing at him as he closed the door, but chose to erase it from his conscience.

"So, are you going to get off my bed?"

"Ichigo, you should be more gentlemanly," Rukia responded deftly.

"Wha-, shut up and sit on the floor!" He countered, frantically.

Rukia quirked an eyebrow. "You're going to make a girl sit on the floor?"

Ichigo's frown deepened. "Shut up," he muttered. And knowing he had lost, he started looking for a comfortable spot on the floor.

When he had situated himself, Rukia looked at him. "So…something happened when I left, right?"

His brow furrowed for a moment, trying to figure out what she was talking about. Then it hit him. "With Inoue?" He rubbed his head. "Yeah."

"Hmm?" Rukia was feeling a little sick, but she pushed the feeling away abruptly. "So she confessed?"

Ichigo looked up startled. "Yeah."

"And you probably didn't know how to respond," she finished, matter-of-factly.

The carrot-top's perpetual frown deepened. "Shut up. It caught me off guard, is all."

Rukia sighed and looked over at Ichigo. "So what did you say?" A sickeningly foreboding feeling started to creep up her chest. This one she couldn't push away for some reason.

"I said…'oh'…" Ichigo responded, deciding to omit Tatsuki's appearance in-between the confession.

Rukia's mouth fell open. "You said _what?" _She jumped off his bed.

Ichigo fell back in surprise. "Was that wrong?"

"She took all that courage to confess, and you just said _oh?_"

"Well, then what was I supposed to do!" He countered, standing up to defend himself.

Rukia drew herself up to her full height. "You were _supposed _to carry her off on a horse to your castle!"

"Wha…" Ichigo stopped, momentarily stunned. "What horse? Castle? Where are you getting this bloody crap from?"

Rukia took a step backwards, cheeks reddening. "From some books I saw in the library…" she dwindled off. "But still!"

"How can you derive what to do in real life from _freaking comic books!" _He made his way towards her. "For your information, people in this day and century do _not_ cart people off on flippin' _hors…" _Ichigo was cut off in mid-sentence...his feet had made contact with something quite wet and non-floor like.

_Water?_

He fell forward. Rukia's mouth dropped open at the sight of Ichigo falling towards her.

Apparently, she had missed some juice.

**Well, I must say. I'm going to have a really, really hard time deciding who to pair Ichigo up with, because each time I'm writing in the perspective of one of the three candidates…I really want Ichigo to end up with her. D: That isn't good, is it?**

**Anywho, there was a little…lack of Orihime in this chapter. D: My apologies…I didn't plan on it like that, it's just the way it happened. **

**So…what REALLY happened between Ichigo and Orihime after Tatsuki left? Has Tatsuki really given up on Ichigo? And…dear me. Is Ichigo about to fall on Rukia?**

**I apologize for any grammatical mistakes/discrepancies that I missed on rechecking. I know I hate coming across them when I read fics…so I do my best to get rid of as many mistakes as I can find. **

**Once again, I shall implore you lovely readers for a review. Reviews DO actually reduce the time between updates. So take a minute out of your day to drop a little review and make my day.**

**THANK YOU!**


	9. On Transluent Shirts and Ice

**And hello again~! Sorry it's been a while. You guys might not believe me, but I'm updating about…a month early thanks to all of the LOVELY reviews. I wasn't planning on updating this thanksgiving break, because I have a bunch of finals and midterms to study for…but you guys literally DOUBLED the reviews I'd been getting before, so I need to thank you guys somehow. :] **

**So THANK YOU LOVELY REVIEWERS. I'm so superficial. ^^; I only update for you guys. **

**On a little side note, I'm going to fail my calc midterm because I'm updating. XD And I went to a reunion the other day…very disappointing. This has nothing to do with you guys, I just wanted to rant a little 'cause I can't do it in RL.**

**And about the setting of this: I'm working under the assumption that EVERYTHING that happened in the manga, happened…UP TILL ICHIGO'S COLLAPSE. Therefore, the time skip that happened in the manga is DIFFERENT than the time skip that's happening in this fic. Just wanted to clarify. :]**

**RECAP: Tatsuki curls up, distraught by the confession she witnessed. Hinamori has decided to take some action to resolve the increasingly complex love triangle and has Rukia begun to acknowledge her feelings underneath the surface? In the midst of her confusion, she has a conversation with Ichigo that would somehow fix his own complicated situation with Orihime. But after the discussion becomes heated, Ichigo slips on juice Rukia had missed and comes falling towards her.**

**

* * *

**

_CRASH. _

Rukia grimaced, rubbing her head.

_"You were dating Arisawa-san, Kurosaki-kun?"_

…

_He pointed viciously at Rukia. "And even if I did, it wouldn't be to this midget."_

…

_"Kurosaki has a girlfriend that isn't you…?"_

…

_**"You're in love with Ichi-nii, aren't you?"**_

…

"You ok?" Ichigo's anxious voice brought her out of her reverie.

"Y-yeah," she replied, slightly disoriented. After a few seconds, her head stopped spinning, and the room came into focus. Ichigo was practically on top of her, the only thing keeping her from being smothered were his arms, rooted on either side.

Upon realizing the close proximity, her cheeks flushed and she tried to backtrack. She only succeeded in smashing her head back into the wall.

Rukia clutched her head in pain. Ichigo looked at her wryly. _Are you an idiot, _is what he said, but if she had been looking up, she would have seen the concern that flitted across his face.

"S-Shut up," she groaned. Still clutching her head, she looked up at him, miffed. "Are you going to get off, or are you going to keep straddling me, you big oaf?"

Ichigo scowled, masking his relief. If she still had her insult-capabilities, she was perfectly fine. "For a girl, you aren't very cute."

Rukia gawped at him before aiming a kick at his stomach. Ichigo immediately dodged, but in the process, fell to the floor.

"Hell," he muttered, rubbing his back. Rukia stuck her tongue out at him.

Thunder rumbled in the background. Rain started to pour, and the room was flooded with the noise of pelts of water hitting the roof.

"What's with the change to this awful weather," Ichigo grumbled, staring out past Rukia into the storm. Then his face lit up in surprise and he jabbed a finger in her direction.

"Wh-what?" Rukia looked at him with apprehension. He'd hit his back, not his head. He shouldn't be delusional.

With all seriousness, he said, straight-faced, "By kicking me off my bed, you angered god!"

Rukia chucked his pillow at him. He frantically made to catch it.

"That's my pillow!" Ichigo stared at her as if he couldn't believe she had dared to throw his beloved pillow to the ground.

Rukia crossed her arms, irritated. "There's no way Kami-sama would care enough about you to make it rain."

Ichigo's mouth fell open. "You took me seriously?'

She could feel her face starting to redden. "Wha…you were totally serious-" There was a huge crash and the lights started to flicker. Rukia pulled back in surprise, staring at Ichigo dumbly.

"What's wrong with—" Then he started to laugh. "You can't seriously believe that God's doing this for me, can you?"

Rukia's face was taut. "This isn't a laughing matter, Ichigo," she muttered, looking worried. There was another crash, and she leapt from his bed. She landed on the floor and then yelped in pain, holding her head. Apparently, crashing into the wall twice had done a number on her skull. The lights went out.

Ichigo stopped laughing immediately. "Oi," he called out. Receiving no reply, he started to get worried. "Rukia?"

Had she hit her head again? He started to reach across the floor, searching for her. "This isn't funny, you idiot." Once again, he got no reply and his movements started to border on frantic.

Then something grabbed his back, and he screamed shrilly.

Rukia collapsed, laughing on the floor.

"You…should've seen…your face," she gasped out.

Ichigo's scowled, both irritated and relieved. "I thought you'd hit your head again."

Rukia calmed down, sitting up. "Worried about me, were you?" She replied, coyly.

Ichigo's scowl deepened, but he conceded. "It was my fault you got hurt in the first place."

She winced at that remark, as it wasn't completely true…it _had_ been her fault that there was liquid on the floor in the first place.

There was another crash of thunder and a couple of streaks of lightening lit up the room temporarily. Rukia and Ichigo were sitting across from each other, Rukia a hand on her head.

"You did hurt your head," Ichigo exclaimed. Rukia frowned, immediately retreating her hand. She had been banking on the darkness masking her actions. Lightening was a miscalculation.

"I'm perfectly fine," she insisted. Ichigo rolled his eyes, partly because she couldn't see him do it.

He beckoned for her to come over. Then, realizing it was dark and she couldn't see him, he voiced, "Come here and lemme check."

"N-No way," she retorted, backing away. "Even if I am hurt, it's just a gigai. I'll get Urahara to fix it in the morning."

Ichigo scoffed. "Then let me just check the gigai," he alleged. "Or would you rather have Sandle-Hat do it and who knows what else to it?"

There was silence for a while. He assumed that she got his point.

"Fine," came the sullied reply. A small, victorious grin crept across his face.

Then the smile was gone, and lightning flashed again, Rukia using it to position herself in front of Ichigo.

After she had settled down, he started to work her hands through her hair. She jumped.

"Ichigo, your hands are cold!"

He rolled his eyes again, ignoring her.

"Tell me when it hurts."

Rukia frowned. _I'm so distracted by you running your fingers through my hair, I'm not even going to realize, you fool._ She bit her lip. That was probably something she shouldn't say out loud, for fear of misunderstandings. Then an intense pain shot up her skull.

"That hurts, you moron!" She yelled, grabbing at her head and whacking his fingers away. Ichigo backed away, amused.

"It's just bruised; I'll get an ice pack when the lights come back…on…"

The lights started to flicker again.

* * *

Gin was walking through the streets, having finally made his escape from Tessai. The streetlights were starting to flicker on, and the streets were empty. He had them all to himself…the only time he ever chanced an outing. A brisk wind blew past him, and he stopped.

"It's a cloudy," he noted, glancing up. "The moon's gone." Then his mind wandered back to his life in Soul Society. Back to a specific person.

A couple of rain droplets hit his face.

"Eh?" He was startled back to reality. The cool water slid down his face.

A downpour soon followed. "You've got to be kidding me," he said, lips curving downwards. He pulled his jacket over his head and made for the apartment complex across the street.

He made his way inside, under the awning. Lights were on in a couple of rooms, probably having dinner, he mused.

Sitting down on the stairs, he started to wring out his jacket.

He sighed, "Now my jacket's soaked." After a couple of minutes, he looked out again. The rain didn't seem to be letting up, but at least he had temporary shelter from the storm. The rain was brutal, hitting the pavement with absolute certainty and power.

_A Captain reduced to hiding from the rain._

"Gin…?" The voice was muted and very uncertain; had it been anyone else, he would have assumed it to be a trick of the wind. But the voice was unmistakable. He knew exactly who it was, and he turned around with apprehension, staring across the complex at his old friend.

"Rangiku…" he dwindled off, not knowing how to continue. She solved the problem by swiftly running up to him and slapping him sharply across the face.

"You were dead!" She yelled, shrilly. Thunder rumbled. Hitsugaya was leaning across a railing, looking away. He wanted to stab the bastard who had tormented his normally happy, hyperactive vice captain, but he knew that this wasn't the place or time. So he restrained himself.

Gin was rendered temporarily speechless. He hadn't expected to run into anyone, least of all her. If he had had any inkling that this would happen, he would have gladly let Tessai work him ragged…maybe not _gladly, _but still.

"I saw you die," she persisted. The tears that started to leak out of her eyes were hot, and her eyesight began to blur. "You died." Gin averted his eyes.

She lifted her hand to strike again, but before she could finish the gesture, he grabbed her hand. His expression was almost sad, pained in a way.

"I'm sorry," he said simply, looking at her.

She broke down. Gin looked on, feeling like the helpless child he was all those decades ago. There was a distance between them that would never close, as a consequence to his actions. By choosing to protect her, he had hurt her. And this was the result of his betrayal.

So he just stood there and repeated the only thing he could.

"I'm sorry."

* * *

Hitsugaya was sitting on the inside of Inoue's apartment. He had decided they couldn't spend another day wandering the city, especially in the pouring rain. He was sure Inoue wouldn't mind taking them in…not to mention, he hadn't been able to take any more of _that_ scene outside…so he had left the two alone and come in. But Inoue had disappeared off somewhere. Luckily she was a nice person and wouldn't mind them entering on their own.

He sighed; then froze as he heard the door open. His vice captain threaded softly over to the middle of the room. Hitsugaya looked up for a split second before immediately casting his eyes downward. Her eyes were puffy and with the exception of when she had been so drunk that she hadn't slept and thrown all of his paperwork across the office, he hadn't seen her like that before.

She sat down quietly next to him, and he was horribly unsure of what to do. A minute past in awkward silence, and he nearly lost it. Finally he jabbed her in the side, swiftly.

Rangiku yelped loudly, falling over sideways.

"Captain!" Her shocked face made Hitsugaya feel guilty, and he turned away.

"I'm tired of you sulking," he huffed.

"Wh-wha-?" Her eyes were wide. Then she burst out laughing. "You're so cute," she laughed, grabbing him.

He reddened, as he did every time he was smothered. "What are you talking about?" He puffed out his cheeks, still looking away from her. Then something wet fell on his cheeks.

"Matsumoto…?"

"Sorry," she mumbled, burying himself into his hair. "Let me stay like this for a while."

A couple of minutes passed. Hitsugaya really wanted to move his arm, but he didn't want to bother her. But his arm was incredibly uncomfortable. But he couldn't bother her when she was upset. BUT IT WAS SO DRASTED UNCOMFORTABLE.

As he was having this intense, internal debate, he didn't notice the lock turn and the door open.

"Rangiku..san?" Orihime's eyes wandered to the small boy she was suffocating. "Hitsugaya…san?"

The vice captain's eyes shot open and she uncharacteristically shoved her mini-captain away from her. Hitsugaya went flying into the bathroom.

"Ah…" Rangiku looked apologetically over at the restroom, before hurriedly wiping her eyes and greeting Orihime.

"Yo!" She beamed up at Orihime. Hitsugaya's grumblings were heard from the bathroom.

Orihime smiled, warily. "Is something wrong?" She unfolded her umbrella, putting it into a container near the door.

"Yeah," Rangiku deadpanned. "We have to get you ready for Ichigo's reply! So much to do before tomorrow!"

Orihime face went deep red. "How did you know?" A smile played on the older woman's lips.

"Women's intuition."

"Really?" The bubbly girl looked amazed. "Then you came all this way just to help me?"

"Mmhm!" Rangiku grinned, holding up a finger. "And now to get your outfit ready."

As the vice captain busied herself going through Orihime's closet, the girl couldn't help but think that her friend was acting strangely. She turned to look for Hitsugaya, and found him sitting cross-legged in her bathroom door, staring quietly at Rangiku.

* * *

After the witnessing the whole confession, Tatsuki had been rather out of it. As a result, she had wandered throughout the neighborhood in a daze until she found herself by the riverbank, sun setting. She had sat there for a while, staring off into the horizon, reminiscing on the past where her childhood friend used to be a crybaby and a wimp. And she would protect him.

Then there was that death. And how the sweet, smiling boy she knew became much colder and more aloof. And stronger. Stronger than her.

In middle school, he had finally defeated her in karate. And never fought her seriously again.

He was treated as a delinquent. Yet he never came to her for help. Maybe it was because she was a girl. Maybe it was because she was weaker than him.

Then he met Rukia at the start of his high school years. She had a big impact on him. He loosened up. Made friends. Became even stronger.

Yet he told her nothing.

He didn't tell her about becoming a Shinigami. Or about the fact that Rukia was taken to be sentenced to death. Or his own internal strife.

He didn't even tell her when her best friend was kidnapped by those monsters. Not even when she smashed his head against that school window. He wouldn't tell her anything.

Why.

They had known each other for so long…and yet, he refused to rely on her.

He had only told her after everything was over. And that was with those other two guys. They were all the same. She wasn't any different to him.

She buried her head in her arms, sitting there for a while. Then her cell started to ring.

"Great."

Tatsuki pulled the phone out of her pocket, glancing at the number. It was her mom, who was probably worried about her. Having been lost in her thoughts, she hadn't noticed that the sun had already set, and the street lights had started to come on.

"Hello?"

_Where are you? It's getting late. It looks like it's about to rain as well. Did you bring your umbrella?_

"Sorry, I had some club activities to do," she replied, not wanting to delve into her personal feelings at the moment. "I forgot my umbrella, but I should make it home before any rain starts."

_I told you to take an umbrella today._

She sighed, loudly. "Yeah, yeah. I know, sorry."

_Be careful. I don't want you getting sick in your final year. You also need to stay well for your entrance exams for University._

She twitched. "Yeah, I got it. I'll make it home soon. Yeah. Bye," she mumbled, shutting her phone. Although she had said that, she could already feel the rain starting to fall on her skin.

"Wonderful," she muttered to no one in particular. She hadn't even brought her coat.

The torrent of rain increased. She was getting drenched…she had to make a run for it. It was just a couple of miles to her house…she could probably make it in fifteen minutes if she tried.

She took off running. Her white shirt was drenched in a couple of minutes. The rain was really vicious.

_Crap. _Her school uniform wasn't the best thing to run in. Her shirt was now translucent, her shoes were uncomfortably soaked, and her skirt was sticking to her making it incredibly difficult to run.

She stopped briefly to readjust her clothes and get a bearing as to where she was.

"Tatsuki-chan?"

Tatsuki turned towards the familiar voice. One of Ichigo's sisters was standing outside with an umbrella, holding a trash bag.

"Yuzu? What are you doing out in the rain?" Tatsuki queried, looking at her.

The younger girl held up the trash bag. "I was just putting out the trash," she replied.

Tatsuki's mouth dropped open. "You mean this is…" Of all the places she had decided to stop, it had to be outside the Kurosaki family clinic.

The biting rain brought her back to reality.

"Ah, sorry Yuzu. I gotta go!" She made to leave, but Ichigo's younger sister wasn't having any of that.

"You're going to get a cold if you keep running soaked like that in the rain! And besides…" Yuzu's face went bright red. "Your clothes are completely see-through."

* * *

So that was how Tatsuki had found herself inside the Kurosaki residence for the first time in around ten years.

"The electricity just came back, so if you want, I can dry your clothes for you," Yuzu looked at her, smiling genially.

Tatsuki was touched by the girl's kindness. Obviously not everyone in the Kurosaki family was like Ichigo.

"Thank you-…" She stumbled on the last word as Ichigo came bounding down the stairs.

"Tatsuki?" The three stared at each other, Yuzu the first to break the silence, her face scarlet.

"I-I-Idiot Nii-san!" She yelped, chucking her umbrella at him. Ichigo dodged, staring at the fallen umbrella behind him.

"That could've hurt me!" He exclaimed, turning back to her. Then realizing what had horrified his sister so, he pointed to Tatsuki in shock.

"Ah."

Tatsuki wasn't nearly as frivolous or girly as some of her classmates. She prided herself on being "one of the guys"…but even these things had their limits. Her face started to tint from embarrassment and horror. But before she could come up with something to salvage the humiliating situation, Yuzu had already forced her brother into the kitchen.

She came back out looking embarrassed and carrying a towel and a large shirt. "I'm so sorry that Nii-san's an idiot," she apologized, handing them to her.

"No, it's fine," Tatsuki reassured her. _It wasn't fine at all. That idiot had just seen her practically half-naked. But that was brother's fault. _"Thank you."

"You can change in the bathroom if you want," Yuzu said, beaming at her. The minute Tatsuki had gone in to change, Yuzu retreated back into the kitchen and rounded on her brother.

"How could you do that!"

Ichigo tried to back away, but he was cornered. "It was an accident!"

"Pointing at her…" Yuzu blushed furiously. "That wasn't an accident!"

Ichigo made a sound half-way between a strangled yelp and a gaping fish.

"You could've just pretended you didn't see anything!"

He gaped at her. "But I did!"

Yuzu glared at him. "But you didn't have to point it out!" She crossed her arms. "What were you coming down for anyways?"

"Ice," he replied, matter-of-factly.

She looked at her brother strangely. "Ice? For what?"

"Rukia hit her head. Twice," he rolled his eyes. "That midget's a walking disaster." Then his face went pale. "Shit."

Yuzu looked at her brother with reproach. "Sorry, sorry," Ichigo interjected before his sister could go on her 'no-swearing' rant. "But you _can't _tell Tatsuki that Rukia lives here."

Her mouth fell open. "Why not?"

"Because it'll create a huge misunderstanding!" Ichigo was starting to look extremely nervous. "I'm going to go tell Rukia to keep it low until Tatsuki leaves."

"Yuzu?" Ichigo jumped, startled. Tatsuki was finished changing. _Crap. Crap. What to do!_

"I'll go keep Tatsuki-chan company, so I guess I'll help you out this time," she huffed. "But you have to apologize to her later."

"Gottcha," he said, making his way out the kitchen. He raised a hand in greeting to Tatsuki as he past her, but she just glared at him.

He was almost home free when Rukia came down the stairs, rubbing her head.

"I thought you were getting that ice, Ichigo."

He froze.

_Oh hell._

_

* * *

_

**I really wanted to add in another scene with Byakuya and Kenpachi and Yoruichi…but it's getting late and I REALLY do need to study for that midterm. And I'm sleepy.**

**So "tomorrow" will probably sort out a lot of things…with Ichigo's reply or lack thereof, a small showdown between Tatsuki and Rukia…and the meeting of Kenpachi and Yachiru with Yoruichi and Byakuya.**

**I also want you guys to sort out something for me. Do you guys want longer chapters? Because when I read fics, if the chapters are too long…sometimes I get bored. So I was wondering what length you guys think is good? I don't want to increase the length of chapters as my thanks to you guys, if you guys actually DON'T want the length to increase. So let me know. :]**

**I had some other stuff to say, but I kinda forgot it all. And I think I'm getting sick, which is why my thoughts are all jumbled, but oh well. **

**I apologize once again for any and all typos/grammatical mistakes/discrepancies. **

**And I implore you guys to drop a review off. :] It totally makes my day, I swear. And I LOVE constructive criticism, because it helps me improve. If you've got something to say, say it, and I'll take it in stride. If you guys surprise me as much as you did last time, maybe I'll update in dead week (in about one-two weeks) instead of winter break (in about a month).**

**THANKS AGAIN~!**


	10. Forbidden Love

**I sincerely apologize for the mega late update. Stuff got in the way and then when I actually had time to write, I didn't actually know/want to continue…but I am/do now, eh? **

**I love what Kubo did in the time-skip (those of you that keep up with the manga), but I shan't spoil anymore for those who watch the anime (BUT THEY DID A GORGEOUS RENDITION OF THE GOODBYE).**

**Once again, a LOVELY and HUGE thank you to my reviewers. I would've dropped this fic if it weren't for you guys. :] **

**Some responses to my reviewers:**

**As much as I would love to end it with everyone getting Ichigo, that's the one ending which would also make me the most irritated…I guess it's a love/hate kind of thing? I want everyone to be happy, but a harem route undermines the girls, in my mind. I want there to just be one. I just don't know exactly who yet. ):**

**Recap: Ichigo heads down to get some ice for Rukia's head, yet runs into Tatsuki who had temporarily taken shelter from the rain in the Kurosaki residence. As he's herded into the kitchen by his younger sister, he remembers that Rukia's living situation is one of the few things he hadn't let on to his friends. Dashing out of the kitchen to warn Rukia, he stops dead in his tracks as he realizes that unfortunately he's too late.**

"Rukia?"

Tatsuki was looking up at the smaller girl, flabbergasted. The towel Yuzu had given her was casually draped around her neck, and the oversized shirt she was now sporting made the already slight girl look much smaller than normal. The raven haired shinigami, for her part, much resembled a deer caught in the headlights. Standing on the fourth step from the bottom and leaning slightly on the railing, her blue-gray eyes were wide and nervously darting forth between Tatsuki and Ichigo inadvertently relaying her uncertainty. She opened her mouth a couple of times as if to say something, but each time closed it; finally deciding not to break the silence.

"Tatsuki," Ichigo spoke up, after a few moments, from across the room. "There's…uh…a good explanation..." he trailed off, his mouth twitching. His hair, longer than need be (he _really_ did need a haircut), shielded his eyes. "It's not what it looks like."

His childhood friend whirled around, looking at him incredulously. "What does this situation look like, _Ichigo?" _She crossed her arms defiantly, trying to hide the hurt that was undoubtedly spreading across her features. "That you have one of the girls you're closest with; one that you owe your life to, no doubt…living with you?" Before Ichigo could manage to interrupt, she barraged on. "Or that you completely led on," Tatsuki faltered momentarily, catching herself. _Me._"….Orihime?"

The last statement pulled Ichigo out of his frozen stupor and he immediately retorted, "I did no such thing!"

"_You did._" She countered furiously; immediately. "When she confessed to you, you should have told her that you were dating Rukia. She would have understood." Tatsuki was fighting to remain level-headed; she was torn between wanting to burst into tears and wanting to punch the living daylights out of the strawberry that had somehow managed to steal the hearts of two girls, not to mention her own. "Instead you let her wait. She's still waiting. Thinking she might have a-"

"We aren't dating."

The sudden, unexpected, interruption by Rukia caught the furious girl off guard, and she was forced to pause after the momentum that had propelled her through her argument suddenly dissipated.

Recovering from her initial shock at seeing one of Ichigo's old friends, and one of her own classmates, Rukia was determined to set the younger girl straight.

Taking advantage of Tatsuki's stunned lapse into momentary silence, she continued on, "Ichigo's letting me stay here, _like he always has_." She allowed the latter phrase to imply the full situation without bothering to explain and clenched her teeth, trying to will away the small tremor in her jaw and the splitting headache that seemed to grow with every word she used to protest their misunderstood relationship.

"She's right, we're just good friends," Ichigo said, expanding on Rukia's last thought.

Yuzu, who had been standing in quiet horror behind her older brother, stepped forward. "Rukia-chan sleeps with Karin and I," She offered Tatsuki a small smile. "Ichii-nii can be a lot of things, but he wouldn't do something like that."

Ichigo chanced a look at Rukia; she was refusing to look at him. He slowly turned his gaze towards Tatsuki, surprised to see that someone so in control of herself could suddenly seem so fragile.

Tatsuki, for her part, was starting to feel extremely foolish; not so much for misunderstanding (as that apparently was what she had just done) but for being so upset about it. A red flush started to creep across her face.

"I…I've got to go," she muttered, removing the towel from around her neck and handing it back to Yuzu. "I'll make sure to wash and return the shirt tomorrow."

She grabbed her bag and made for the door before any of the other three could make the slightest move to stop her.

Unfortunately, her departure was interrupted by the doorbell.

* * *

"Don't you think this outfit's just _lovely?_" Rangiku gushed, gesturing towards a mini-skirt and a rather…flattering…low-cut blouse.

"Ummm, Rangiku-san…" Orihime timidly tried to interrupt. The Vice Captain was sitting in front of her closet, rifling through any particular piece of clothing she could get her hands on. Orihime was sitting slightly behind her and to the right. Rangiku's much younger Captain was sitting far behind and to the left; still sitting in the entranceway he had found himself when she had uncharacteristically sent him flying.

"Or _this,_" the Vice Captain continued on, apparently enjoying herself thoroughly. Hitsugaya knew better; she was using Orihime's situation to distract herself from the meeting just moments earlier that had sent his normally upbeat Vice Captain through a slew of emotions.

"Ano…" the blonde tried again. Knowing that Rangiku would not hear her due to her own mental anguish, Hitsugaya finally took pity on the younger girl and snapped, "Matsumoto!"

Rangiku jumped in surprise. "What, Captain?" She turned around to look in his general vicinity, but stealthily averting her eyes; a motion not gone unnoticed by Hitsugaya.

"She's trying to tell you something," he muttered, quieter than he would have liked, and gestured towards Orihime, slightly ashamed of the way he had gone about attaining Rangiku's attention.

The older woman turned immediately back towards her. "Eh? Orihime, what is it?" she asked, smiling warmly at the lovable but eccentric healer.

The affable girl smiled, embarrassed, rubbing her head. "Ah, well…since tomorrow's Saturday, and it's a school day…"

Rangiku looked at her, momentarily lost, before realization struck her.

"Oh. That's right…so you don't need an outfit…"

Orihime laughed awkwardly, rubbing her head. "More like I can't actually wear one." She looked apologetic.

Rangiku looked slightly crestfallen as she rapidly tried to think of a way to alleviate the newfound silence that seemed to envelope the room. Then, suddenly, she brightened up.

"Well, no matter!" She stood up and ushered the girl into the kitchen. "How about we make that boyfriend of yours a bento?"

Orihime blushed scarlet. "He isn't my boyfriend…" she trailed off, a mixture of trepidation and embarrassment flitting across her face. Rangiku gave her a small, knowing smile.

"Honey, with your personality and your looks, he'd be _damn_ lucky to have you as his girlfriend and extremely stupid if he doesn't realize it." In response, the younger girl once again resumed assuming the color of a ripe tomato.

* * *

"_Hinamori_?" Ichigo's mouth fell open before he whirled around on Rukia. "_Ok, what the bloody hell's going on?_"

Rukia looked at him, mouth agape. "What makes you think I know?" Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"All of freakin' Soul Society's here, and you're tell me you _don't know what's going on?"_

Tatsuki, her departure postponed by the arrival of this newcomer, eyed the girl before giving her a slight smile. The poor girl looked just as horrified as she, Tatsuki, had a few moments ago. Although, she wasn't exactly sure what her reasons for being so scandalized were. As far as she had seen, nothing particular horrifying had yet to happen to her.

"I haven't heard anything at all! You're such good friends with _God_, why don't you ask him?" The raven haired girl retorted.

"Holy hell, don't be ridiculous. I'm not friends with God, as if he'd be fri…" Ichigo trailed off as he realized he had been sidetracked. "That's beside the point!"

Rukia glared him. "Then what's your point?" Ichigo's eyes narrowed and her scowled.

"Why are there so many ranked officers from Soul Society here!" Then, an idea hitting him, he rounded on Hinamori expectantly.

"I…" The said girl looked at a loss for words.

Tatsuki looked on sympathetically, starting to understand the reason for the girl's initial horror.

"Ah, Hinamori-chan, there you are!" Isshin came bounding down the stairs in a nightcap and blue pajamas.

Ichigo groaned loudly. "_Dad?"_

"I hadn't thought you were coming today, I must've mixed up the dates," Isshin rambled on, ushering the girl back out the door.

"Sorry Ichigo, but Daddy has some grown-u—" Ichigo chucked his slipper and hit his father squarely in the face.

"Just go already!" He cried, exasperated. "I don't even want to know what you want with her."

Isshin grinned, giving his son a thumbs up. "Now Ichigo, don't do anything I wouldn't do. You've got to remember, even if you do _have_ two beautiful ladies throwing themselves at you, there's still Yuzu and Karin to –"

He was once again cut off as Ichigo rushed towards him and elbowed him in the face, efficiently cutting his father short. Isshin grabbed at his nose, howling piteously.

"Get lost already, old man!"

Isshin gave him one last pitiful glance before following Hinamori out the door.

Tatsuki and Rukia were looking anywhere but at Ichigo. Yuzu was staring, revolted at the sheer audacity her father sometimes displayed, at the door. Karin was sleeping upstairs. And Kon, poor Kon. He was tied up behind the toilet. How he got there; that's another story.

* * *

"What is going on?" Byakuya was cold and stoic; his usual self. All save a select few would be able to even guess at the inner turmoil that the captain was going through; the amount of self-control that it required for him to not hiss that statement across; the amount of self-control it took for him to not unleash S_enbonzakura_ out of frustration. The worried look that flitted across Renji's face was not without justification.

The two were meeting in an undisclosed location, relatively close to the front of the school's court yard. It was early morning, a few hours before the entrance would be filled with bustling school teens, laughter, and yawns, but still a few minutes after sunrise. The wind was slight but infinitely annoying and Byakuya had to make another conscious effort; this time to not move the hair out of his eyes.

Gritting his teeth, the Vice Captain replied, "I don't know."

Fury was evident in his superior's eyes and Renji couldn't help slightly shirking away. Byakuya made no move to question his underling, instead using his eyes to silently demand an answer.

"I…She…" He cleared his throat. "Orihime confessed to Ichigo," he finished lamely.

"_I know that._" This time anger leaked into the words, breaking his icy composure. Color was slowly starting to drain from the auburn haired man; if his captain was starting to lose his composure, Renji was threading on very delicate grounds. "_No thanks to you._"

Byakuya, appalled at his momentarily loss of self-control, instantly reined in his emotions.

"Where were you when this happened?" He continued on, regaining his usual monotonous tone.

Suddenly at loss for words, Renji's mind spun trying to come up with an excuse. The truth wouldn't work. The truth? He was acting as a substituted teacher trying to set Ichigo up with Tatsuki. The truth? He didn't want the prick getting Rukia; he didn't deserve Rukia; he himself had been in love with her far longer than... His mind stalled at that thought. _Love?_

"Abarai." The word instantly drew him out of his thoughts and he was left, once more, fumbling for an answer.

"I –" Renji was saved from further elaboration when Byakuya cut him off.

"It doesn't matter," he said, swiftly interrupting him. Before Renji had a chance to look relieved, the Captain continued on, speaking rapidly and quietly. "I want to know _exactly,_" he paused slightly. _He emphasized; another notion that he simply did _not_ do. What was becoming of him?_ "What you are doing to alleviate this situation."

Wide-eyed and cursing himself inwardly for his cowardice and inability to stand up to his superior, the gears in Renji's mind started to turn.

* * *

Rukia left for school half an hour earlier than normal, giving Ichigo the excuse that she needed to get to school early to practice for the play. When he asked if she wanted company, she merely offered a small smile before slipping out the door. Now that she thought about it, that gesture was more than a little out of character for her. She didn't want Ichigo reading into any of her tumultuous emotions; what was she doing, unconsciously leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for him to follow? Ichigo was far smarter than anyone actually gave him credit for; if she didn't watch herself….her thoughts were jarred by the presence of a familiar reiatsu. So he was here.

She pulled open the door, roughly, speaking at the same time. "Renji. We need to talk." The object of her early morning 'walk' jerked around in surprise.

"What the hell are you doing here so early?" He asked in what he hoped to be a nonchalant manner. He shouldn't have been surprised by her appearance; more than that, he was rather taken aback that it took her so long to contact him. Yet here he was, adrenaline rushing through his veins, simply because his childhood friend had made a statement. The question he had uttered was merely a self-defense mechanism intended to obscure the fact that she had managed to catch the Vice Captain off guard. Unfortunately, Rukia was perceptive enough to see through such ruses. Any moment he expected her to make some caustic remark on it while crossing her arms, amusement glittering in her eyes...

"You need to tell me why half of the guard is here." Renji blinked.

_What? _

Unable to keep his initial reaction hidden, he voiced, "What?"

Rukia's eyes narrowed and her mouth fell into a firm line. "Don't play games, Renji."

Unfortunately, Renji was having trouble picking his jaw off the floor. Seeing Rukia mad wasn't something new to him; he had often seen her angered over many injustices in Soul Society. But every time her anger had peaked, she had been loud; voicing her emotions with uncontrolled anger. Despite the seriousness of the situation, he had secretly found something amusing in her indignant demeanor.

This time was different. For one thing, it wasn't the slightest bit amusing. Perhaps because he had never had her fury directed at him. Not even when he was a jerk and had hunted her down in cold blood.

Rukia's eyes narrowed dangerously. "_Renji._"

For another thing, this wasn't the righteous anger he was accustomed to; this was different. It was pure cold fury, oddly reminiscent of his Captain. And although Rukia was a quite a good deal shorter than him…

He howled in pain, doubling over. Lost in his own thoughts, he had inadvertently been ignoring the smaller girl. Bad idea.

Taking advantage of his sudden decrease in height, Rukia grabbed him by the scruff of his suit, pulling Renji closer so that their faces were separated only by a couple of inches. His smarting shin was soon forgotten as he all too suddenly realized exactly how close they were. The tips of his ears started to go red; he fervently hoped she wouldn't notice.

Despite the obvious hostile atmosphere, Renji couldn't help but become entranced by the deep blue pools of her eyes…

The corners of Rukia's mouth twitched as she realized that Renji was still locked in his own thoughts. Under normal circumstances, the blatant stare he was giving her would unnerve her. She would be wondering if perhaps a grain of rice was still left on her face or that perhaps she was drooling…

She shook her head. She hadn't eaten breakfast, and she hadn't slept, so it couldn't be either of those. So why was he…Rukia jerked slightly. And here she was worrying. Damn it.

"Renji, why the hell are the…." The door suddenly opened, and both their heads flew in the direction of the door. Two girls were standing in the doorway. Orihime's mouth was in the shape of a small circle. Chizuru, whose arms were choicely placed around the bubbly girls shoulders, dropped to her sides as the situation that her classmate and substitute teacher were in started to dawn on her.

Pure glee lit up her face. "_Oh. My. God."_

Renji looked horrified and his face was rapidly beginning to resemble the color of his hair.

Dull shock and foreboding were laced into Rukia's features. Attempting to regain whatever dignity she might have left, she pushed Renji away while smiling sweetly.

"Abarai-sensei, it turns out it wasn't a leaf after all," the smile plastered across her face was hard to maintain. "It was just your hair."

Renji winced at the subtly hidden insult. He knew that their conversation was far from over.

Rukia forced herself to greet the two girls. "Chizuru-san, Inoue-san," she nodded, with the smile still plastered on her face, towards the door.

"_Forbidden love!" _Chizuru squealed, rushing over towards Rukia.

The smile instantly dropped from Rukia's face. _Oh, for the love of…_

"F-Forbidden love?" Renji stammered out. Rukia gave him a mixed look of curiosity and frustration; he hurriedly continued, "There's no such thing, I can assure you." _Technically, it wasn't forbidden, it was one-sided. And even on the off-chance it wasn't,_ he chanced a quick look in Rukia's direction. To his disappointment, the only emotion written on her face was one of ill-concealed irritation. _They were the same age…it wasn't forbidden. But neither was she in love with him. _

"_Awww_," Chizuru grinned at the both of them. "Don't be shy! I understand the temptations of forbidden love all too well." She sighed dramatically for emphasis. Rukia was torn between wanting to laugh and wanting to vehemently deny it all and set the younger girl straight. "Though, I always thought that you and Kurosaki were an item."

Rukia froze, caught off guard. "What?" Her voice sounded like it came out in a hoarse whisper. She cleared her throat; trapped in her own flurry of emotions, she fail to notice Renji's eyes flash.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Chizuru-san." Rukia thought she recovered marvelously.

The female-loving girl narrowed her eyes slightly, while contemplating exactly what was happening. "Eh, really?"

Rukia tried not to squirm under the unrelenting gaze of the girl. Unfortunately for her, once Chizuru got over jumping every girl that made their way into her presence, she turned out to be unexpectedly perceptive.

Orhime saved Rukia from further questioning. "Chizuru-san, Kuchiki-san, why don't we go sit down?" She gave a wide smile to both of the girls while ushering them towards their seats. Grateful, Rukia gave her a small smile of appreciation, mouthing a silent _thank you. _Orihime gave her a small nod in recognition before proceeding to direct the conversation in the direction of the delights of soy sauce covered ice cream.

* * *

Ichigo lay across his bed, his hands tucked between his head and his pillow. Kon came in running and jumped on his face, pummeling him with his plush paws before Ichigo picked up the toy by his mane. Kon struggled furtively in the air, while Ichigo looked at him with mild amusement.

"Do you know how long it took me to get loose?" Kon demaned, whining in frustration. Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Well you asked for it, hiding in the bathroom."

Kon's eyes teared up dramatically. "This is plushie abuse! You just watch, I'm going to sue you for everything your worth."

"It's just a toilet, stop being so melodramatic."

Kon disentangled himself from Ichigo's fingers and jumped, instead, onto the windowsill.

"Yeah," Kon trilled. "It was just a toilet until your father decided to take a huge du-"

"OKAY." Ichigo said loudly, interrupting what the lion was about to say. "I get it. Sorry."

"Yeah, yeah. Well maybe now you understand that you should…" Kon stopped his tirade short. He looked at Ichigo through his black eyes. "What?"

Ichigo frowned and turned on his side, away from Kon. "I'm not in the mood Kon."

"Hmmm. Did you do something to Rukia-neechan?" Kon asked curiously, in a more subdued tone. "And don't you have school?"

"Leaving in five minutes." Ichigo replied curtly, ignoring the former question.

"_Leaving already?" Ichigo had walked out his room only to see Rukia sneaking the door closed to her and his sisters' room. The slight girl jumped. She smiled wryly at him. _

"_Yeah, I just needed to ask Renji about a couple of my lines in the play. And get a bit of practice in." Of course, that didn't explain why she had been trying so hard not to get caught. The more logical part of his brain knew that she might have been trying to avoid waking his sisters…but why? They had to wake up in a few minutes anyways. _

_She made her way downstairs and he followed her. Before she walked out the door, he asked, "You want some company?" He was curious to see her answer. "I can be ready in a couple of minutes." He didn't particularly want to get to school thirty minutes early, but he wanted to test his theory. _

_She offered him a small smile before silently slipping out the door. _

_So she was avoiding him._

_Aw bloody hell._

He really wanted to skip school. That blasted play, he wanted nothing to do with it. That confession….he didn't want to respond. He wanted more time to think.

"You did do something to Rukia-neechan, didn't you," the plushie demanded.

"I did not," he stonewalled. "It's just…"

Kon plumped himself down on the window sill, trying to make himself comfortable. He offered a small _hmm_ in order to prompt Ichigo to continue.

"She's mad at me. Tatsuki's mad at me. Orihime confessed to m-" Ichigo's spiel was interrupted by a loud screech.

"_WHATTT?" _The plushy screeched.

Kon had been doing very well; being a good friend, listening to his poor owner/roommate/servant go on about his failed life. But the confession…that was the last straw. There was no way….

"_THERE'S NO WAY MY GODDESS CONFESSED TO YOU." _The plushie fumed, asserting his thoughts while beating his chest.

Ichigo looked at the stuffed lion with ambivalently.

"Oi, Ichigo!" The orange-haired teen jerked in surprise at the familiar voice. _Keigo?_

Grabbing the indigent, raving plushy and tossing him across the room, Ichigo opened the window.

"What's up Keigo?" He called out from above. His friend was standing there, his messenger bag draped over his shoulder.

"Wha-…What do you mean what's up? Aren't you ready? We do have school you know!" Keigo demanded.

Ichigo faked a cough. "I'm sick, not going."

Keigo looked flabbergasted. "You are not. What's the real reason?"

He was about to retort when Kon appeared behind him. Ichigo sent a threatening glare in his direction.

The message was clear. _Don't. You. Dare._

Kon looked at Ichigo debating his options.

"Tatsuki's mad at him." The plushy called out, through the window.

Keigo looked up. "Kon?"

Kon danced out of reach of Ichigo's grasp as the boy lunged for him. _"Shut up Kon,"_ he hissed.

"Rukia-neechan's made at him." Ichigo jaw went slack. He decided to give up chasing after the plushy and instead just slam the window closed.

"Go without me." Ichigo muttered before attempting to slam the window closed. Before he did so, he dropped a glare in Kon's direction. _One more word, and I'm latching you to the toilet for a week. _The lion seemed to get the message. But he didn't care.

Before the window slammed shut, he yelled out one final sentence: a glorious victory that deemed the consequence of being attached to the toilet miniscule.

"And Orihime-san confessed to him!"

Ichigo yanked the curtains closed, but not before seeing the flabbergasted look that transpired over Keigo's face.

He whirled on Kon.

Traitor.

**YAY. I'm done. This is after the whole Aizen escapade, and I'm assuming that Ichigo has told his close friends about the Shinigami…which is how Keigo knows about Kon.**

**So…this chapter started out a little angsty, but I think it ended on a fun-ish note. I'm not very happy with the humor this chapter, which is partly the reason for the huge delay. As a little side note…I started this chapter over a month ago…and just finished it today. -_-; I apologize for the long delay. I really should be studying for finals, but god; I really don't want to. **

**I apologize for some things not happening that I had said would happen…but I decided to change some things around to make the story better. **

**And as a ending note: I implore to my readers…please review! This fic (like all of my other ones) is in danger of being dropped. Whether it's because I don't like it; because I think you guys don't like it….so if you do read the story, leave something behind to let me know. :] Even if it's only one word, that's enough. That way, I hope to update far faster than this huge…long…unintentional gap. **

**Thank you!**

**~Until Next Time. **

**PS: If you're curious on the status of this fic or others I've written, I leave updates on my profile. It usually pertains to how much I've written and why I'm not/haven't updating/updated yet. :]**


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